


I am completely certain

by miss_ute



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/M, I have no idea what I'm doing, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 60,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22393459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_ute/pseuds/miss_ute
Summary: a modern AU Turnadette...just read it, you know you want to!
Relationships: Bernadette | Shelagh Turner/Patrick Turner
Comments: 657
Kudos: 260





	1. Shelagh

Chapter I

''No, no, no...please don't...'' Shelagh Mannion looked up into the sky when it started raining again. She was wet, cold, tired and frankly, already fed up with the city she would be, from this day on be calling home.

London. A place where she would be able to put her past behind and start all over again.

''Oh, come on!'' she mumbled to herself when the rain started falling even harder. She was just a street away from her new flat but it felt like miles away. Especially with a huge backpack resting on her back and pulling an even bigger and heavier suitcase behind her.

''Thank god!'' she almost squeaked when she reached her destination. For some reason the building door was open and she wasted no time getting inside. It felt so good to be somewhere warm, she thought as she removed and wiped her dimed glasses clean.

''Great.'' She whispered under her breath when she noticed there wasn't a lift. She and her luck, she thought to herself and started climbing the stairs. Third floor, flat number five, she slowly made her way up until she finally reached the white door. Placing her suitcase on the floor, she knocked on it and waited.

''Just a second.'' A familiar voice answered a moment later, followed by a sound of high heels approaching the door.

''Surprise!'' Shelagh said when her best friend opened the door.

''Oh my god, you're here!'' Beatrix Franklin yelled in excitement and threw her arms around her Scottish friend. ''What happened to you? Why didn't you call me?'' she started bombarding her with questions when she saw the state, she was in. Beatrix, or Trixie to her friends, was supposed to meet her at the train station in an hour, but for some reason, Shelagh was early.

''I wanted to surprise you but it's started raining on my way here. And then I've dropped my stupid phone into a puddle and well, here I am.'' Shelagh explained and sneezed. ''Sorry.''

''Oh sweetie, come in. You're freezing.'' Trixie let go of her and literally pulled her and her suitcase into the warm flat. ''Now, the bathroom is down the hall to the right.'' She quickly said ''Leave your wet clothes on the floor and take a hot shower.''

''I don't think I have anything dry to change into.'' Shelagh said and removed the dripping wet backpack off of her back.

''Don't worry. There's a dressing gown hanging on the bathroom door and I'll find you something of mine to wear.'' Trixie smiled. ''Go on then. We can't have you catch a cold on your first day here.''

''Thanks Trixie.'' Shelagh said and walked towards the bathroom. Trixie had always known how to make things better. The two of them had met back in their uni days and had been almost inseparable from then on. They had done everything together. Good and bad things. They had even shared a dorm room for two years, so when Shelagh had told Trixie she had been thinking about moving to London, the blond beauty had quickly invited her to move in with her.

15 minutes later freshly showered Shelagh stepped out of the bathroom. Wearing Trixie's glamorise robe and with her hair wrapped into a pink towel, she found her friend in the kitchen. ''Thanks for the gown.''

''No problem.'' Trixie turned around and smiled ''I've made us some tea.''

''Brilliant.'' Shelagh returned the smile. With everything that had happened today, a hot cup of tea was a very good idea.

''Are you hungry? I can make you some-...''

''You can cook? When did this happen?'' Shelagh teased. Trixie Franklin excelled in many things but cooking was definitely not one of them.

''Well...I can open a can and dial the number of a pizza place down the street.'' Trixie giggled knowing exactly what her friend meant. ''Rather than that, I'm still hopeless. I don't even know why I've bothered and bought all of these pots and pans.''

''I can make us something.'' Shelagh offered.

''Oh, no, no.'' Trixie quickly said, ''I did not invite you to come live with me because I miss your cooking.''

''About that. Are you sure about me staying here?''

''Of course! Shelagh, you are my best friend! And since Jenny's left, I have a spare room for you to stay in anyway.''

''How is Jenny?'' Shelagh took her cup and followed Trixie into the living room.

''Pregnant.''

''Again?''

''Again.'' Trixie smiled and sat down on the settee. She and Jenny had shared a flat for four years until the girl had met Alec. They were perfect for each other and it didn't take long for her to move across the country to be with him.

''Well, that's nice. I'm happy for her.''

''Yeah me too,'' Trixie agreed. ''So, tell me. How are you? You know, after everything?''

''I'm-, I'm good. Or rather I will be.'' Shelagh said and removed the towel from her head, letting her golden hair fall on her shoulders.

''I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral.'' Trixie replied, still feeling guilty for not being there for her friend. She didn't care about Shelagh's father, not after everything he had put her through. But she loved Shelagh and she had wanted to be there for her.

''Don't be.'' Shelagh shook her head, ''I'm just happy it's all over. He is dead and...can we please not talk about him.''

''Sure, I'm sorry.'' Trixie gave her a weak smile, ''You have no idea how happy I'm for you to be here. It's going to be like in the good old days!'' she changed the subject ''You and me...and the boys!'' she winked and made Shelagh laugh.

''Yeah sure, that's exactly what I need in my life right now. Men,'' Shelagh joked.

''Just you wait and see...we have some fine-looking gentlemen in our hospital.'' The fact Shelagh was moving in with her was nothing compared to the fact they were going to work in the same hospital.

''And you can have all of them if you want.'' Shelagh giggled, ''I just hope your fiancée won't mind.''

''Oh…'' Trixie suddenly straightened herself, feeling a little bit guilty all of a sudden.

''What?''

''We, well…me and Tom, we kind of broke up.''

''What?! When?''

''Five months ago.''

''Five months?! Why didn't' you tell me?'' Shelagh stared at her friend in total shock.

''I don't know. It all happened so fast and I didn't want you to bother…''

''Trixie! You've been together for years! What's happened?''

''I don't know. Life, I guess.'' Trixie shrugged her shoulders, ''I've been busy in the hospital and he in the parish. So, one day we sat down and had the talk. We both felt it wasn't working anymore, so I've given him his ring back and that's it.''

''Oh, I'm so sorry. Did you hear from him ever since?''

''No.'' Trixie shook her head, ''But I've heard he has a new girlfriend. And you'll never guess who?''

''Who?''

''Barbara Gilbert.''

''What? You mean our Barbara?'' Shelagh almost jumped up in shock ''How did that happen?''

''I have no idea,'' Trixie smiled. ''But I am happy for the two of them. Barbara is great and I want Tom to be happy.''

''And you?'' Shelagh asked, ''Did you meet anyone?''

''Well, there is someone but I don't know. He just divorced his wife and…''

''Trixie!''

''I'm not the reason for it!'' Trixie laughed and took a sip of her tea ''I've only met him. We've been on two dates and that's it.''

''What's his name?''

''Christopher. You'll get the chance to meet him on Monday. He's a dentist at our hospital.''

''Ohhh, a dentist, you say.''

''And a ginger.''

''What does that matter?'' Shelagh giggled.

''I don't know. I've never imagined myself dating a redhead.'' Trixie laughed even harder.

This felt nice. Just like in the old days, Shelagh thought to herself. She had to admit she had been worried about moving in with Trixie again. They were best friends but it had been ages since they had lived together and people change. But not Trixie, she was still the same girl Shelagh knew and loved.

It felt like the good old days, but it was ever better. It was the first day of her new life. A life, which Shelagh Mannion deserved and had longed for, for so many years. And she had no idea that in just a few days, she'd meet a man who would be prepared to give her the world if she would ask for it…and more.


	2. Patrick

Chapter II

''Timothy, hurry up, we are going to be late!'' Doctor Patrick Turner called from the hall, with his car keys in his left hand and a medical bag in his right, ready to leave.

''I can't find my scout necker…'' a 10-year-old boy shouted back from his room.

''How many times have I told you, you need to tidy your room?'' Patrick asked, walking into his son's messy room. ''What are you doing?'' he added when he saw the young boy lying under his bed.

''I've told you; I can't find my…''

''Yes, yes, your necker. But why would it be under your bed?''

''Because I've already checked all the other places and there's no sign of it.'' Tim nagged back, pushing himself up on his feet.

Patrick was about to say something back when he suddenly remembered. And by the look on his face, Tim instantly knew his father had forgotten to do their laundry…again. Ever since his mum had died, three years ago, his dad really had done his best to take care of him, but sometimes there were not enough hours in a day for Patrick to do everything. Especially after working a full-time job in the hospital as an OB-GYN and running a small community clinic in Poplar in his spare time.

''Tim, I'm so sorry, I…'' a feeling of guilt washed all over Patrick's body.

''It's alright, Dad.'' Tim gently smiled at him, ''I don't really need it.'' He knew his dad was doing his best, but at times like this, he missed his mum being there for them. Or anyone, for that matter. Growing up without a mother had been hard, but seeing his dad living his life in this cloud of sadness for the last three years had been even worse.

''Tim…''

''Come on, we'll be late!'' The boy ran past him, forgetting about the necker. The last thing he wanted was for his dad to feel even more guilty, especially because of a stupid scarf.

''Damn it, Patrick!'' Patrick swore under his breath before following him. He wondered how many more times was he going to disappoint his only child?!

xXx

''We should be there in about half-an-hour, Valerie,'' Shelagh said, walking down a busy Poplar street on a Saturday evening. After a good night's sleep and a whole day spent in their PJs in front of the telly, Trixie and Shelagh had decided to meet with Trixie's girlfriends and co-workers from the hospital, for a night out in one of the clubs. ''She just texted me that her AA meeting will take a little longer.''

''Should we wait for you?'' Val asked on the other end of the phone.

''No, no. I'll wait for her and we'll join you as soon as possible,'' Shelagh replied as she stepped off of the bus, and started making her way towards the address Trixie had sent to her - 19 Kenilworth Row.

''Are you sure?''

''Yes, go and get us a table. We really should be there in less than 30 minutes,'' Shelagh insisted. It's been ages since she had been to a club, or out really. And no matter that she was still tired and wanted to get a good night's sleep before starting a new job on Monday; she was more than ready to have a good time with Trixie and the girls.

''Alright, see you there, then!''

''Bye.'' Shelagh ended the call and looked around her. The address Trixie had given her should be just around the corner. It had been almost three years since Trixie finally admitted to herself her drinking habits had gotten out of control. Shelagh could not have been prouder when her friend, with a little help and support, had started going to an AA meeting once a week. It was still hard but knowing Trixie had someone to turn to had made Shelagh feel a little bit more relaxed. Especially since she had been living on the other side of the country for the last couple of years and couldn't be there for her friend.

Before she knew it, Shelagh stopped in front of a big, dark building, and the cold April breeze made her walk in without a second thought.

The big lobby was quiet, too quiet in a way. There were a few chairs scattered around the place, but there was no one there. Walking in, she stopped by the bulletin board by the door and ran her eyes through a few leaflets pinned on it. Silently reading different titles and notifications in conjunction with AA meetings, boy scouts, free clinic, church choir… oh, a church choir! If there was one thing Shelagh had missed was singing in a church choir.

Without even realizing her arm stretched out and tore off a piece of paper with the choir information written on it. If this could be a way of feeling less guilty about saying not so something she had always felt she was born to do, she was all in. Her father wasn’t there to stop her, not anymore and not…

''Hell's bells!'' her track of thoughts suddenly got cut off by a loud voice coming from a room down the hall. Putting the paper with the choir information into her little black purse, she slowly made her way towards the unknown source of anger and…pain? Was someone hurt?

''Oh, for god's sake! You idiot!'' she heard a man shout before knocking on an already ajar door.

''Come in,'' a tired voice said next and Shelagh lost no time in entering the room, ''Is everything alr…?'' she tried to ask but stopped in place when she saw a tall, dark man standing behind a desk, blood running down his right forearm, as he tried to stop the bleeding with a paper towel with little effect.

''Oh, god, what happened?'' her nurse's instinct kicked in and she almost ran towards him. ''Are you alright?'' she took his bloody arm in hers, completely ignoring the look he was giving her.

''Ammm, yeah, I-…I-…'' he tried to say it, but for some reason could not. He had no idea who she was, but my god, she was beautiful!

''Show me,'' she gently removed his left hand from his arm. ''Don't worry, I'm a nurse.'' He heard her say next, still in some kind of trance. Who was she?

''Did you cut yourself?'' Shelagh asked when she saw a broken glass under their feet.

''Yeah, I've dropped a me-...measuring flas-...'' The man managed to reply. He must be in shock, Shelagh thought to herself. The cut wasn't too deep, but there was quite a lot of blood. Anyone who wasn't used to seeing as much blood on a daily basis would easily have been scared.

''Here, sit down and keep applying pressure,'' she said next, googling the room for the first aid kit box.

''I have something in my ba-…'' he tried to say but Shelagh was quicker, spotting the kit next to the door, ''Here, let me see.'' She was back by his side in the next moment, ready to help him. The wound wasn't too deep, so there wouldn't be any stitches needed but she wanted to make sure to avoid any infections.

She worked in quiet, gently making sure there weren't any pieces of glass still stuck inside the wound, before sterilizing the whole area. She could feel his stare on her as she worked, but he kept quiet and steady, letting her do her job.

''Here,'' she said with pride after she was done bandaging his forearm. ''This should do, but I do advise you to check it with your GP in a couple of days.'' She stood up then, removing the gloves and washing her hands in the sink next to the desk.

''Well, actually…'' he wanted to say but couldn't as Shelagh finally looked up at him. This time directly into his eyes and for the first time in the last three years, Patrick could feel something move inside of him. And the same could be said for her.

''I-…'' Shelagh tried to say when her phone rang. It was Trixie. ''I'm sorry, I have to g-go.'' She quickly said and almost ran out of the room, leaving him standing there feeling like a fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: weshallc  
> Thank you for reading and reviewing!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III

It didn't happen often for Patrick to lose his ability to speak. Never really, if he thought about it. He was a 41-year-old grown-up man, who had never been afraid to speak up, ask questions, be curious, learn new things. It was one of the many reasons why his patients adored him. But the moment she had walked into his community clinic reception and had taken matters into her hands, he could not force himself to say more than a few sentences that had made any sense. Which was odd enough, as something like this had never happened in the past 10 years since he had started working with a PCT in Poplar .

…I'm a nurse…her gentle but strong voice echoed in his ears. A hint of Scottish accent, maybe? So, she was a nurse, a good one even, he thought to himself looking down at his bandaged arm. She had done an amazing job, even better than most of his senior nurses in the maternity ward in the hospital would do. But who was she? Yes, a nurse, but…

''Dad? Daaad?!'' his son's voice jerked him out his daydreaming. He'd been waiting for his dad to pick him up from the scouts for almost 15 minutes, before Miss Noakes had told him to check if he was still busy in the clinic on the first floor.

''Timothy!'' Patrick looked at the boy standing by the door, ''Did you see her?''

''See who? Dad, what are you talking about?'' Tim stared back at him confused, all up until he saw his arm, ''Dad, what happened?!'' he ran to his side, half worried, half excited for a new opportunity to learn something new about medicine.

''It's nothing, I-I cut myself with some glass, that's all.'' Patrick quickly stood up, ''I'll be alright, don't worry.''

''You really are getting old.'' Tim teased, already opening the old cupboard in the corner of the room, getting a broom out to take care of the mess his old man made.

''Who are you calling old?'' Patrick chuckled, feeling blessed. This boy had been the only reason he was still able to stay sane after Marianne's death three years ago. He should be a better dad to him, much better. The boy deserved the world. And more.

''You!'' Tim giggled, almost done with his sweeping, ''But I see your bandaging is getting better.''

''Yeah.'' Patrick exhaled, thinking about the mysterious woman again.

''Done!'' Tim announced as he put the broom and the broken glass away.

''Thank you, Tim. How about some fried bread before going home, hmm?'' he asked while putting his coat on.

''Yes!'' Tim's face lightened up. He loved fried bread, plus anything was better than his dad's cooking, anything!

''Come on, then," Patrick took his medical bag, turned off the lights and locked up behind them. If Tim didn't see her leaving, was the woman even real? Did he only imagine her? By his busy schedule and lack of sleep, it might be possible…or...

xXx

''Sweetie, are you alright?'' Trixie asked as she and Shelagh made their way out of the tube station near their place, early in the morning, ''Shelagh?'' she called a little louder.

''Yeah, what?'' Shelagh turned around, not really listening to what her friend was saying to her. ''What is it?''

''Are you alright?'' Trixie tried again while lighting herself a cigarette.

''What do you mean?''

''I don't know you've been acting a little, well, weird.''

''Weird?'' Shelagh frowned her eyebrows, trying to act as if she had no idea what Trixie was on about. But she was right. Ever since she had locked eyes with him, something was off. She had no idea what, but there was definitely something.

''Saying no to a drink that awfully cute young man offered you to buy…twice, if I may point out. Sulking by the table all by yourself, not dancing…''

''I wasn't sulking…I'm just a wee bit tired, that's all.''

''Are you sure?'' Trixie once again tried, ''You would tell me if there was something wrong right?''

''I would.'' Shelagh gave a weak smile, ''I'm just tired, really. It's been a long week and…I'm fine, don't worry about it.''

''Alright.'' Trixie smiled back, still not quite sure she was telling the truth, but ready to drop the subject for now, ''Cigarette?''

''You know I don't smoke.''

''Still lying to yourself, hmm?''

''In total denial.'' Shelagh giggled and took a few puffs. She knew it was bad for her, she didn't even like the taste of them, to be honest. But for some reason it made her feel a little bit calmer no matter she had no idea why was she feeling so tense. She was never going to see him again anyway…or will she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: weshallc! thank you!  
> come on reader...be brave haha leave a review, so I can know if this is any good! :D thanks! xoxox


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

''Nurse Mannion, welcome! I'm Nurse Crane,'' a scary looking woman firmly said to Shelagh in the early hours of Monday morning. ''As this is your first day with us, you'll spend the morning in my company and your afternoon with one of our supervising OB-GYN. Is that clear?''

''Yes, Nurse Crane," Shelagh replied confidently and followed the older woman down the hospital hall. It felt so unreal to finally be here! In one of the best hospitals in the UK, if not the whole of Europe. This was her time to shine! Her time to prove to herself she could do anything.

''Do hurry up, we have a lot to do today, lass!'' Nurse Crane raised her voice, making Shelagh fasten her pace.

And what a day it was! Shelagh had spent her morning examining and monitoring eight mothers to be, helped a young mother with her first breastfeeding and assisted Nurse Crane deliver a baby boy. Midwifery was far from easy, but Shelagh absolutely loved it.

''You did good today, Nurse Mannion,'' Phyllis had to admit at the end of her shift.

''Thank you, Nurse Crane," Shelagh proudly grinned like a little kid. Phyllis wasn't as scary as she had thought at the beginning of the day, she was completely the opposite actually – smart, efficient and unbelievable compassionate towards the mothers, even funny at times.

''Now,'' Phyllis walked into her little office. ''No matter you've had a successful morning, I'd advise you make the best of you break. Eat something, take a short nap if you must. Our mothers deserve the best care from us.''

''Of course, Nurse Crane,'' Shelagh agreed. Mother and baby first, was something her uni's Professor Julienne had always said.

''You'll need to report to Dr Turner in about 30 minutes. He's the supervising OB-GYN for today. Lovely man.'' Phyllis explained while writing something down, ''He's expecting you to join him on his afternoon rounds. He likes to get to know the new midwives if he can.''

''Okay, I'll find him after my break," Shelagh replied.

''Good. Carry on then!'' was the last thing Phyllis said before Shelagh left her office. Walking towards the changing room she bumped into Trixie.

''Hey, you. How is your first day treating you?''

''Good. Actually, very good," Shelagh grinned.

''I told you'd love it here!'' Trixie shared Shelagh's enthusiasm, feeling so pleased for her friend, ''Are you going to get something to eat?''

''Yeah, I was thinking cafeteria, would you want to jo-…'' Shelagh was about to ask when Trixie's name could be heard by the speakers above their heads, ''Nurse Franklin, delivery room 5, Nurse Franklin…''

''That would be Mrs Smith, for me. Sorry sweetie, but duty calls,'' Trixie chuckled, ''Enjoy your lunch.''

''Thank you, and good luck," Shelagh managed to add before Trixie left her side. Checking her watch, Shelagh realized she had only about 25 minutes of break left. Using the staircase, she made her way down to the hospital cafeteria. At her luck, it was almost empty, but to be honest she didn't really mind. She needed a few minutes of her own, to collect her thoughts, reflect on her morning work.

Collecting her food, she sat at a small table in the corner of the room, which had a big window overseeing the city. She had no idea how hungry she really was until she started eating. It was nothing special, some veggies and roasted chicken, but it tasted divine, especially for hospital food.

Gazing over a busy London street, she thought about her day. She didn't do anything too big, but it was a start. And who knew what her afternoon with Dr Turner might bring?! She really did hope Nurse Crane was telling the truth by saying he was nice. She had had too many bad experiences with a handful of doctors, who had thought and acted as if they were Gods on Earth.

Reaching for a bottle of water, she started opening it when a somehow familiar voice behind her back asked, ''Is this seat taken?''

''No, no it isn-...'' she turned around and let out a little gasp when she saw who was standing behind her. It can't be! Not him?!

But it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BETA: weshallc! thanks!


	5. chapter 5

Chapter V

''FRED?!'' Shelagh could not believe who was standing in front of her ''Wha-what are you doing here?'' she was on her feet in the next second, wrapping her arms around him.

''I work here.'' Fred replied jollily into her hair, happy to get such a reaction from an old friend.

''But, Trixie, she didn't…'' Shelagh finally let go of him and looked up, her face beaming from happiness. Fred Buckle was one of the few people who Shelagh knew she could reach out for no matter what happens. He was one of her late mother's best friend and without him, her childhood would be even harder as it already had been.

''I asked not to tell you. I hope that's alright.''

''Yes! Oh, my goodness, sit, sit.'' She almost pushed him onto the chair next to hers, ''Wha-...how, I mean…'' she giggled, not able to contain her joy. It had been ages since they had seen each other.

''I work as a janitor. Nothing fancy, but you know…it pays the bills," Fred explained still smiling like a fool.

''I can't believe Trixie didn't tell me!'' Shelagh chuckled still in shock. This day was getting better and better by the second.

''Yeah, well, I'm glad she didn't.''

''What's new?'' she asked and the only thing Fred did was raise his left hand ''I've got married.''

''What?!'' Shelagh took his hand in hers, taking a better look at the gold ring on his finger, ''Oh, my god! Is it Violet?!''

''What do you think?'' Fred proudly grinned, knowing Shelagh was more than aware of their years long game, will they, won't they?

''Congratulation! Why didn't you tell me?! When?''

''About two months ago. It was nothing special, just a quick thing at the register office. I wanted to call you, but Trixie said your father was…''

''Yeah.'' Shelagh gently cut him, not really wanting to talk about her father.

''I'm sorry for your loss.'' Fred squeezed her hand, silently letting her know he was there for her.

''Thank you.'' She nodded, knowing he only meant good. There was nothing bad about Fred Buckle. Absolutely nothing. A real teddy bear of a man. Sweet and always happy to help you with literally anything.

''How is Nurse Crane treating you? Trixie mentioned she'd welcome you today.''

''She wasn't that bad," Shelagh chuckled. ''I can only hope my afternoon will be the same.''

''Oh? What are you up to?''

''I'm supposed to meet Dr Turner in about…'' she checked her watch ''…8 minutes.''

''Oh, Turner.'' Fred laughed.

''What? What's wrong with him?'' Shelagh quickly asked, not really liking his reaction.

''Nothing, absolutely nothing, actually.'' Fred shook his head, ''He's one of the good ones. He's been through hell in the last few years but he's great. He's even helped my Vi with her back problem a couple of times. You should be very lucky to work with him.''

''Well, that's good to know.'' If Fred thinks he's alright, it must be true, Shelagh thought to herself.

''Yeah, you'll be alright, kiddo, don't worry about it. And if anyone gives you any trouble, let me know. I'll take care of it,'' he joked. ''Run along now. I wouldn't want you to be late on your first day with Doc.''

''Thank you, Fred," Shelagh stood and placed a warm kiss on his cheek.

''Leave it,'' he said when she reached for the food tray, ''Let me.''

''Fred…''

''Just go.'' Fred gently replied, ''I'll take care of it.''

''Thank you.'' She gave him another quick hug, not really wanting to let go. It felt so good having him back into her life, ''And tell Vi, I said hi.''

''I will, but do expect a dinner invitation very soon.''

''It'll be my pleasure.'' She finally let go of him for the second time, ''I better run now.''

''Go on, then.'' He stood up too, ''Oh, and Shelagh?''

''Yeah?'' she turned around as she was already walking away from him.

''If he doesn't show up on the ward on time, I'd advise you to look for him in his office.'' Fred knew how passionate Turner could be when it came to his patients. Falling asleep behind his desk from exhaustion, his nose buried into medical books or Lancet magazine. Poor soul, he worked too hard for a man of his age.

''Thank you, Fred.'' Shelagh nodded and ran off to finally meet a man which apparently everybody loved...with no idea she's already met him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: weshallc! ** thank you!  
> hey you! yeah, you! I can see you are reading! :) so let me know how I'm doing with this haha


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter VI

After 10 minutes of waiting for Dr Turner at the ward and with no sign of him showing up, Shelagh decided to go and look for him. One the nurses told her where to find him and before she knew it, Shelagh was standing in front of a white door that read Dr. P Turner MD, OB/GYN on it.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door and a second later walked in as a gentle voice asked her to come in.

‘’Hell-…’’ Shelagh started to say but then stopped in place when she saw a boy, maybe 10 or 11 years old, sitting behind the desk.

‘’Hi!’’ the young boy looked up from his homework and gave her a somehow familiar smile.

‘’Dr Turner?’’ Shelagh smiled not really knowing how to react. The last thing she was expecting was finding a boy in Dr Turner’s office.

‘’In the making.’’ the boy proudly grinned at the stranger ‘’You must be looking for my dad. He’s just run to the loo, he should be back any minute now.’’

‘’Oh, OK, then. I’ll just wait for him outsid-…’’

‘’Actually, would you mind taking a look…’’ he raised a green notebook in the air.

‘’Am, sure.’’ Shelagh checked the hall before finally closing the door behind her, ‘’What are do doing?’’

‘’Mathematics.’’ The boy stood up, ‘’You can sit if you want.’’

‘’I…’’ she wanted to protest, surely this was far from appropriate, but the way he was looking at her, full of hope and a big smile on his face, made her gave in. She sat down on a big black office chair.

‘’I’m sorry, just let me get this out your way.’’ The boy pushed a few match boxes on the side of the desk.

‘’What’s that?’’ Shelagh got curious all of a sudden.

‘’Pieris brassicae.’’ He grinned, excited someone actually wanted to know ‘’Don’t worry, I found them dead on the window seat.’’ He explained and opened one of the boxes, so Shelagh could see a white dead butterfly a pin stuck into its body.

‘’Well, my mum always said an enquiring mind is always to be admired.’’

‘’I agree! I’m going to ask my dad to show them to one of his colleagues. Maybe they can make a diagnosis.’’ He closed the box, ‘’I’d ask my dad, but it’s not really his field of expertise.’’

‘’No, it really isn’t.’’ Shelagh laughed, he was absolutely adorable and by everything very bright for his age. She could only hope his father was the same.

‘’I’m Timothy, by the way.’’ He offered her his hand.

‘’Nice to meet you, Timothy. I’m Shelagh Mannion.’’ She took his warm hand, already liking the boy.

‘’Are you the new midwife?’’

‘’I am. How do you know that?’’

‘’Dad has your name written in his diary. Look.’’ He pointed to the open book on the desk and Shelagh could see her name written under today’s date – meet the new midwife S. Mannion at 3 p.m. ‘’I’m sorry he’s late.’’

‘’Oh, don’t worry, it’s alright.’’ Shelagh suddenly felt sorry for the boy, understanding the look in his eyes. In a way he remembered her of herself when she was his age ‘’So, what seems to be a problem?’’ she changed the subject, concentrating on his homework.

‘’It seems I can’t…’’ Timothy started when the door suddenly opened ‘’Timothy, you ne-…’’ Patrick Turner walked into his office but stopped in place when he saw who was sitting behind his desk.

Oh, my god! Shelagh could feel a tingle going through her entire body, when her eyes locked with his. This could not be happening! Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god!

On the other hand, Patrick had to do everything in his power not to smile like a fool! She was here! In his office! ‘’You…’’ he gently pointed out, still staring at her.

‘’Oh, god, I’m so sorry.’’ Shelagh suddenly stood up as she realized how this whole thing might seem.

‘’No, no it’s alright.’’ Patrick finally said, not giving a damn she was in his seat. She was here! After two days of thinking about her, she was actually here! In his office, just a few feet away from him.

‘’She’s helping me with my maths.’’ Timothy finally opened his mouth when both of the adults kept staring at each other without saying a word.

‘’You really didn’t have to.’’ Patrick gently replied, not taking his eyes off of her.

‘’Well, actually, we just started…’’ Shelagh managed to say. He was looking at her the same way as he had had two days ago and she had to admit, it didn’t make her uncomfortable. The softness in his eyes made him even more attractive than he already was. Oh, Shelagh stop it! He’s married! The ring on finger told her that much.

‘’Tim, Nurse Dyer told me to tell you that Mrs B’s fixed you something for you to take home with. Would you mind going to the cafeteria and picking it up?’’ 

‘’Sure, Dad!’’

‘’Here.’’ Patrick reached into his pocket and handed him a few pounds.

‘’Thank you!’’ Tim took the money, but turned to Shelagh before leaving, ‘’Thank you for listening to me about my butterflies.’’ He added and was off in the next second.

‘’Oh, god, did you bother you with the dead butterflies. He didn’t kill them, he…’’

‘’…found them dead on the window seat.’’ Shelagh could not help but smile, which made Patrick feel even warmer as he was already feeling. She had the most amazing smile he had ever seen. 

‘’Amm, I’m Shelagh Mannion, the new midwife.’’

‘’Oh, yeah, sorry.’’ He walked closer and offered her his hand ‘’I’m Patrick.’’

Patrick. Shelagh repeated his name in her mind. It suited him.

‘’Turner, Patrick Turner, ammm Dr Turner, I’m sorry.’’ He chuckled under his breath. Idiot! He was acting like a complete idiot, but it seems she didn’t mind, as she took his hand in hers and gently shook it.

‘’How’s your arm?’’ she could not help but ask when she finally let go of him.

‘’Great. You did an amazing job.’’ Patrick grinned, enjoying the fact she was starting to blush.

‘’You could have told me you’re a doctor, you know.’’ She playfully scolded him, surprising herself with her boldness. But she could be a bold girl…sometimes.

‘’Well, if remember correctly you wouldn’t let me speak, so…’’ What was happening!? Were they flirting!? It had been ages for him and he wasn’t sure what the hell he was doing.

‘’Oh, god, I’m sorry…’’

‘’Don’t be, you really did an amazing job!’’ he cut in, not wanting her to feel bad about anything. And he wasn’t lying.

‘’Thank you.’’ Was the only thing that made sense to her to say. What else could she say back anyway? She had bandaged a highly qualified doctor, had even told him to see his GP about it!

‘’No, thank you. You were off before I’d thanked you.’’

‘’Yeah, I had a thing with my friend.’’ Shelagh quickly said, not wanting to explain to him that his gaze had been too much for her to stay.

‘’Well, thank you and I’m sorry you had to wait today.’’ Patrick gave her a smile.

‘’No, worries.’’ Shelagh beamed back, ‘’Timothy kept me company. He's a good kid.’’

‘’He is. I sometimes feel I don’t deserve him…’’ for the first time since he walked in, Shelagh could see a hint of pain in his eyes. Much the same as she had seen in his son’s a couple of minutes ago. There was definitely a story there.

‘’I’m sure that’s not true.’’

‘’Yeah, well…should we?’’ Patrick moved and reached for a few files on his desk, ‘’We don’t have much to do. Just a few postnatal check-ups.’’ He explained as they walked out of his office and down the hall. And Shelagh could not help but notice he was walking beside her, not in front of her as so many doctors did in the past and present. Their arms didn’t even brush but she could feel his warmth on her skin. Or maybe she was just imagining it, she had no idea. All she knew was that it felt right, he felt right. And she could not wait to ask Trixie or Fred about him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Patrick had caught himself slowing down his work pace just to steal a few more minutes in her company during the whole afternoon. She was even more amazing than he had first thought. And she had been absolutely brilliant! A little shy, but only for the first two minutes. In his whole career, he had never met someone who had simply understood what needs to be done without telling or showing them. And mothers had absolutely loved her.

But hours had passed and before they knew it, their workday had came to the end and they had to say their goodbyes.

''Well, Nurse Mannion, I have to say I'm impressed.'' Patrick openly admitted, there was no point in lying really.

''Thank you.'' Shelagh took the compliment, feeling really proud of herself. Plus, she had survived the whole afternoon with him, without blushing once. Which had been hard enough, by the way he had been looking at her. No matter if she knew he had been probably only observing her midwifery skills it had made her feel all mushy inside.

''I do hope we get a chance to work together again.'' He forced himself to say with a little hope in his voice. He knew he wasn't the only doctor on the ward but…maybe there was a way he could make it happen? Oh, for god's sake Patrick, don't be weird!

''Me too, it was…nice.'' Or perfect even? But it really was. It felt as if they had been working together for ages.

''Yeah, it was.'' Patrick nodded, feeling glad she felt the same about the whole thing. What was in this woman he found so attractive? They hadn't talked much, but only being in her company made Patrick feel something he hadn't felt for so long…alive.

''Shelagh!'' Trixie's voice suddenly burst their comfortable bubble ''How is our old Doctor treating?''

''Who are you calling old, Nurse Franklin?'' Patrick laughed, but silently hoping Shelagh wouldn't think of him as an old man. His chances with her were already so low.

''Trixie!'' Shelagh looked at her friends feeling mortified. He didn't look that old! Maybe in his early forties?

''Oh, don't worry, Shelagh. I and Doc go away long, right Patrick!?'' Trixie playfully winked at him, making Shelagh feel just a bit jealous. But she had no idea that Patrick had been the one who had helped Trixie to start going to her AA meetings. Saving her from losing her job when he had smelt alcohol on her breath while helping her with a difficult birth a few years ago.

''Right.'' Patrick smiled, really proud of her and her progress.

''Are you ready to go?'' Trixie then turned to Shelagh.

''I still can not believe you talked me into this.''

''Talked you into what?'' Patrick got curious.

''Keep Fit class!'' Trixie proudly said ''Come on, get changed or we'll be late.''

''Just give a minute alright.'' All Shelagh wanted to do right now was go to bed and sleep, but she had promised Trixie to go with her, so there was no way out.

''Well, ladies, I won't keep you any longer.'' Patrick suddenly had to get away from her, only imaging her stretching that fine body of hers was too much of a thought for him. He needed air. Right now!

Saying his goodbye, he almost run down the staircase out on to the little balcony. Grabbing the railing with his hands he took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. It took him a moment until he realized his knuckles had turned white and he finally let go of it. Without hesitation, he reached into his front pocket and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of it.

He knew he had promised Tim he would quit but this was an emergency. Shelagh Mannion was making him feel things he thought he'd never feel again and it made him feel out of control.

''Oh, hello Doc.'' the door opened behind his back as he took his first long satisfying puff.

''Hi, Fred.'' Patrick glanced over his shoulder.

''Is everything alright?'' Fred asked when he saw how pale his friend was. And he was smoking?! Something was definitely up!

''Yeah, yeah, thank you.'' Patrick took another puff, knowing he wasn't fooling him. This was Fred. He knew him.

''How about you just come out with it so we can save some time, hmm?''

''Ammm, I don't know really.'' maybe he should just tell him. With his work and with everything that had happened in the last few years, Patrick didn't really have a lot of friends to talk to. Except for Fred.

''Is it Tim?'' Fred slowly asked. He had seen what his wife's death had done to the man standing in front of him, and if there would be something wrong with his only child, Fred knew Patrick simply would not survive.

''No, no. Tim's fine...he's more than fine, really.'' Patrick leaned his forearms against the railing of a metal fence.

''So, what's up?'' Fred joined him.

''I don't really know.'' Patrick admitted and it was the truth, he had no idea what was happening to him or why! ''It's about this new midwife that just started today…''

''Oh, you mean Shelagh? Did she find you?''

''You know her?'' Patrick's head turned to face him with such a force, he could hear a little crack noise in his neck while doing so.

''Who!? Shelagh Mannion? I've known her since she was a baby. Extraordinary young woman, don't you think?'' Fred proudly said, ignoring the surprised look Patrick was giving him.

''You know her?'' Patrick repeated his question like an idiot.

''Patrick, what's this all about? Did she do something wrong?''

''No, no, she's…amazing. I mean, it's been only her first day but…'' Patrick could not believe Fred knew her! Like, really knew her!

''What?'' Fred was getting impatient with the man next to him. So, Patrick told him the whole story. About what had happened two days ago at the clinic and today.

''What? Why are smiling?!'' Patrick asked when he was done telling him about his and Shelagh's first meet.

''Oh, my god!'' Fred just kept smiling like a fool.

''WHAT!? What is it!?''

''You like her!''

''What? No, I don't!'' he tried to deny it and miserably failing to do so.

''Yeah, you do.''

''Oh, Fred, bugger off.'' Patrick suddenly got annoyed, put out his half-smoked cigarette and looked at his friend.

''Oh, come on! Admit it!'' Fred started to laugh, ''There's no shame in it! She's a beautiful, smart young woman! Why wouldn't you like her?!'' at first Fred thought Patrick was just messing with him, but then he saw it. A little spark of hope, deep in Patrick's brown eyes when he had been talking about Shelagh. It was something Fred hadn't seen since Marianne had been diagnosed with cancer four years ago.

''How old is she, exactly?''

''28.'' Fred smirked.

''Oh, god!'' Patrick buried his face into his palms! She was 13 years younger than he was.

''Oh, come on, it's not that bad.'' Fred tried to cheer him up ''Plus, it's 2020, age is just a number these days.''

''Shut up, Fred.'' Patrick started to laugh with Fred joining him in the next second. ''Do you know if she is seeing someone?'' Patrick blurted the words out when their laughter calmed down.

''I don't think so, but I can check.''

''No, no, no, not a word about this to anyone! You hear me!?'' Patrick got serious. The last thing he wanted was for Shelagh to know he fancied her.

''But…''

''No buts, Fred! She cannot know, do you understand me!?''

''Patrick…''

''No! Promise me. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable in her workplace, OK?'' Patrick insisted.

''Patri-…''

''Promise me!'' Patrick stared at his friend. There was no way Shelagh was finding out about any of this.

''Alright, alright. I promise. Happy now?''

''Thank you.'' Was the last thing Patrick said, before storming inside, leaving Fred behind on the balcony.

She cannot know! He repeated to himself all the way to his office, on his way home, during late dinner with Tim, in his shower, in his bed. She cannot know! But he had no idea that in a way she already knew, because as he had been convincing himself they had no future, Shelagh had been sitting in the living room, a hot chocolate resting in her lap, having a similar conversation to the one he and Fred had had, with Trixie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta: weshallc! thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

''Trixie?'' Shelagh asked, sitting on the couch already feeling an ache in every muscle in her body. The whole Keep Fit had been more intensive than she initially had thought. ''Trixie?''

''Yeah?'' her friend kept her eyes on the telly.

''Trixie?''

''What?'' Trixie finally unglued her gaze from one of her fashion TV shows for a minute, ''What is it?''

''I…can I ask you something?''

''Sure. What's up?'' Trixie lowered the volume on the telly when she saw how serious Shelagh was, and scooched over so she could be closer to her.

''Amm…'' Shelagh suddenly got a little nervous. It had been ages since she thought she fancied anyone, maybe even ever?

''Shelagh, what's going on? Did something happen?''

''What's the deal with you and Doctor Turner?'' she finally spat out and watched Trixie's pupils dilate in surprise. Her asking her about Patrick Turner was the last thing she's expected.

''What? What do you mean?''

''Well, is there, you know...is there something going on between the two of you?''

''Shelagh, he's- he's old!'' Trixie started to laugh.

''He's not that old!'' Shelagh had to laugh with her. Plus, Trixie's reaction had given her hope that maybe, just maybe she could pull this through.

''Well, he's over forty, so yeah, in my book, that's old.''

''So, you two never…?''

''Oh, god, no! What's given you that idea?!''

''I don't know, just asking, I guess. You've seemed very friendly back in the hospital.''

''Oh, that.'' Trixie reached over to the coffee table to get her own cup of hot chocolate ''Patrick was, well, he was the one who…saved me really.''

''Saved you?''

''Yeah.'' Trixie took a sip, ''I've never told this because, well, I was ashamed, really.'' At that statement all Shelagh did, was cover her friend's hand and lightly squeeze it. It was her time to listen and not ask questions.

''I was drunk on duty, Shelagh.'' Trixie looked at her, tears already gathering in her eyes. ''I put mother and baby in danger and I will never forgive myself for that. Of course, I thought I hid it pretty well, neither she nor any of the other midwives noticed it. And I'd have got away with it too, if the mother hadn't started struggling.''

''Trixie…''

''Patrick was on call that night.'' Trixie finally looked up from their hands. ''He knew the moment he walked into the delivery room. I still don't know how, but he took a single glance at me and he simply knew.''

''What happened next?'' Shelagh almost whispered her question.

''He asked me to wait for him in his office.'' Trixie remembered that day as if it were yesterday. He hadn't raised his voice at her, he had simply asked her to leave. After waiting for him in his office for almost two hours, terrified and glad that somebody had finally noticed there was something going on with her, Patrick had finally shown up.

'' _I'm so sorry!'' Trixie burst in tears the moment he walked in, ''I'm so, so sorry!''_

'' _Come here.'' Was the only thing Patrick said and opened his arms for her._

'' _Ar-are they OK?'' she mumbled into his shoulder, already damp from her tears._

'' _Yes, the mother and the baby are fine.'' Patrick kept holding her in his embrace, ''The real question is, are you?'' he whispered into her hair._

'' _N-no.'' she shook her head and finally let go of him, but was still not able to look him in the eye, ''And I don't know how to…''_

'' _It's alright. Look at me…Beatrix, look at me.'' Patrick gently said and she felt safe enough to look up. She had been expecting to see anger or even disgust in his eyes, but there was not a single trace of any of it. He was calm and worried at the same time._

'' _Would you like me to help you?'' he simply asked and the only thing that went through Trixie's head at that moment was finally! Finally, somebody asked!_

'' _Yes.'' She almost started to cry again, ''God, yes!''_

'' _Here.'' He handed her his handkerchief, ''It's going to alright, Beatrix.''_

'' _Trixie.'' She smiled for the first time in the last few days, even months maybe, ''My friends call me Trixie.''_

'' _Patrick.'' He simply said back, sat behind his desk and dialled a number._

''He could have fired me on the spot, Shelagh. Or reported me. But he didn't.'' Trixie added, ''He saw someone who needed help and he offered it to me, no questions asked. And till this day he hasn't asked anything in return.''

''I'm sorry, I wasn't there for you from the beginning.'' Shelagh removed her glasses so she could wipe her own tears away. This man was even more amazing then she had first thought. He was simply…kind.

''No, I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I should have.'' Trixie admitted, well aware it had taken her almost two years before telling Shelagh or anyone where she had been spending her Saturday's evening; never mind the reason for her first three months absence from work ''But I was so ashamed of myself, so…''

''…angry?''

''Yes.'' Trixie nodded, ''But I'm better now. I'm stronger and I'm not afraid anymore. It's a day to day battle but I'm winning. And I have Patrick Turner to thank.''

''He really is one of the good ones, isn't he?'' Shelagh could not help but smile.

''He is. After everything that happened to him…''

''What do you mean?'' Shelagh frowned her eyebrows and pushed her glasses back on her nose.

''He lost his wife three years ago.''

''Oh, god!'' Shelagh gasped, suddenly thinking of Timothy.

''Cancer.'' Trixie added, ''It was so sudden. She was a paediatrician in our hospital. Lovely woman. She's still dearly missed.''

''And him?''

''He's thrown himself into work. At least at the beginning. Or until he was forced to take some leave or be fired.''

''And now?''

''He is still working too much if you ask me, but he's better. He's smiling more and that boy of his is the centre of his life, really. He's a good kid.''

''I know, I've met him.''

''You did? Where? When?'' Trixie suddenly started to pay attention to her friend's interest in Dr Turner. ''What are you not telling me, Shelagh Mannion!?''

''Amm, wh-what do you mean?'' Shelagh quickly took a sip of her drink, burying her face into her mug.

''Shelagh? What's going on?''

''Nothing!'' Shelagh got defensive, too defensive.

''Oh, my god.'' Trixie almost gasped when she put two and two together. It'd happened so rarely. Oh, what was she thinking! It never happened! In the last few years, she had known Shelagh, there had never been a single boy or man that Shelagh had taken any interest in! Never! ''You like him, don't you?''

''What? Who?!' Shelagh tried to play coy but Trixie was onto her.

''There is a story, isn't it? I knew there was a reason for you giving me that look earlier in the hospital!''

''What look? Trixie, what are you talking about!?''

''You know the _look!_ ''

''What look!?''

''The jealous one!'' Trixie slapped her on her knee. ''You little minx! You like him! I can't believe I'm saying this but you actually like the guy!''

''No, I don't…I just…''

''Shelagh…''

''Alright, alright…'' Shelagh finally gave in, there was no point in denying it. She was dying for more information and if she couldn't trust her best friend with her little crush, who could she?

''OH, MY GOD! SHELAGH!'' Trixie almost fell off the couch as she started bouncing up and down, spilling hot chocolate all over the blanket.

''Trixie! The blanket!''

''Oh, forget about the stupid blanket! I need information and I need it now! Did you two make out in his office?!''

''What? NO!''

''No, that would be too fast for you? How about…''

''Trixie, nothing happened!'' Shelagh raised her voice to make her friend stop acting like a lunatic. ''I met him the other day when I was waiting for you to finish your AA meeting!''

''Why didn't you tell me?''

''Well, I didn't know he was a doctor, did I?''

''There is more! There have to be more of this!''

''I'm afraid there is.'' Shelagh said and with that was forced to tell Trixie all about Patrick's wound, her bossiness and the shock that had followed a few days later. When she had realized that the man, she had helped was no one but Dr Patrick Turner.

''This is hilarious! I can't wait to tell your kids how their old dad and mum met!'' Trixie could not help herself but laugh!

''Trixie!''

''Shelagh, this is literally the first male you have ever taken any interest in, so give me a little break!'' Trixie kept grinning at her friend.

''Do you think I have a chance?'' Shelagh almost whispered, afraid of the answer. Trixie was right. Patrick Turner was the only man she had ever taken another glance at. But with that said, she had no idea what she was doing. She was a 28 years old woman with no idea how to flirt, never mind do anything more.

''Do I think you have a chance? Are you kidding me?!'' Trixie couldn't believe what she was hearing. ''You're young and smart and beautiful and…do you have a chance!? Shelagh, come on!''

''Well, I don't know! Until a minute ago I've thought he was married!''

''This is going to be such fun!''

''Stop it! And don't you dare do anything stupid!'' The last thing Shelagh wanted was for him to find out she was smitten with him. ''You hear me?''

''This calls for a celebration!'' Trixie was on her feet the next moment ''What do you fancy? We can make….'' She called from the kitchen as she was going through their fridge, ''…we don't really have anything edible.''

''Yes, we do. You just have to cook it first.'' Shelagh walked into the kitchen well aware she had done their shopping the very next day she had arrived in the city, stocking every cabinet and shelf there was.

''How about we make some pasta?'' Trixie pulled a jar of tomato sauce out, proudly grinning at her friend. ''I do know by a fact your darling Patrick likes pasta.''

''Oh, just shut up and give it here.'' Shelagh snatched the jar from her hand but could not help but smirk. She had no idea what the future held but it didn't look that bad. Especially with Trixie by her side.

* * *

**beta: weshallc**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

If they hadn't had different work schedules in the following two weeks, both Patrick and Shelagh would have thought they had been avoiding each other. And in a way they had been, both afraid of what they had started to feel when they spotted each other in the hospital hall, quickly speeding up their pace to get away from one another as quickly as it was possible.

For Shelagh, it was the fear of the unknown. Patrick, on the other hand, had a completely opposite problem. He knew how much he was able to love. Too much, sometimes. And he knew how much it had hurt when that someone had been taken away from him.

But both Fred and Trixie were on to them. And after the pair had a quick meeting over their lunch break, they had arrived at a solution. And with a little help from Miss Higgins, who was in charge of the hospital shifts, Shelagh found herself standing in front of the Buckle's front door one Friday evening.

''Hello, dear!'' Violet Buckle swung the door open, and before Shelagh could reply she was already pulled into a big, warm hug! ''Fred! She's here! FRED!?''

''I'm here, I'm here.'' Fred came walking down the stairs, ''Hello, love! I hope you had no trouble finding us.'' He had the biggest smile on his face, to match Violet's. It was his turn to pull Shelagh into a hug, squeezing her so hard she almost stopped breathing.

''No troubles,'' Shelagh finally managed to open her mouth as he let go of her.

''Great!'' Why was Fred smiling like he's smoked something weird? Shelagh thought to herself as he kept grinning like a fool, not saying much.

''Fred, for god's sake!'' Violet raised her voice as she saw her husband. The poor idiot is going to ruin everything if he kept doing whatever it was, he was doing. ''Shelagh, dear, do come in,'' she added and almost pushed her inside.

What in the world was happening!? Shelagh looked around as they navigated her into the living room. She had thought this was going to be a nice dinner with some old friends but something was definitely up!

''Would you like something to drink?'' Fred asked after Violet nudged him in the ribs before leaving them by themselves.

''Amm, sure, some white wine would be nice, I think.''

''On your way!'' Fred almost jumped in place before running to the kitchen to get it. Stepping closer to the kitchen door, Shelagh could hear them whispering something to each other, but couldn't get what they were saying. It was just weird. They were weird.

Maybe they were just happy to spend the evening with her Shelagh hoped as she sat down on a couch.

''Here you go!'' Fred came skipping back into the living room, still smiling like an idiot.

''Fred?'' Shelagh asked as he handed her the glass.

''Yes?''

''What's going on?''

''W-what do you mean?'' his smile fell a bit. ''Nothing's going on!''

''Are you sure? Because you're acting a little weird.''

''Well, you know me, what do they call me? Fred the weirdo,'' he tried to joke and quickly change the subject, ''How's the wine!?''

''It's fine,'' Shelagh said as she took the first sip. She wasn't much of a drinker but she had to admit it really was very nice.

''Good!'' Fred sat down next to her, ''So, how's work?''

''Amm, good. They keep me busy. I'm actually really surprised I've got the morning shift and not the night one, today.''

''Lucky, I guess," Fred chuckled but it only made him look even more suspicious. She was about to say something but in the next moment Violet walked in, ''Dinner is served!''

''What? Already?!'' Fred jumped, ''Are you sure? Should we wait a little longer?''

''OK, what's going on?'' Shelagh had got tired of them acting like a bunch of weirdos, but before they could give her a reply the doorbell went off.

''Excuse me!'' Fred ran out of the room as a child runs to the Christmas tree on Christmas day. Shelagh finally got an answer to her questions when a familiar voice filled the Buckle's household.

''Fred, I'm so sorry, I'm late! The nanny was running late an-…oh, hello.'' Patrick stopped in place as he walked into the living room and saw who was there with Violet. She looked lovely. Wearing black skinny jeans and a simple white blouse, her hair freely bouncing on her shoulders. Damn you, Fred!

''Hi," she awkwardly said back, but couldn't help but smile at him. He was in his element, with his floppy hair and with his stupid choice of a tie which always looked as it was tied in a hurry. And it probably was. Damn you, Trixie!

''Fred, would you mind helping me with something in the kitchen,'' Violet cut the silence and almost had to drag him with her. He was so happy playing the matchmaker! Too happy!

''I didn't know you were coming," Patrick was the first to speak, still not quite believing what Fred had done. Especially after he had promised him not to do anything stupid two weeks ago.

''Me neither.''

''I hope you don't mind the company,'' he got worried for a second. Maybe she didn't want him here. Maybe…

''No, not at all. It's nice to see you, actually.'' She took a quick sip and sat back on the couch, far away from him. If there was ever a good time to have alcohol in her reach it was now.

''You too,'' Patrick smiled; glad he was worried for nothing. And it really was nice to see her. He had no idea how, but she looked even more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. And as this was an outing, she smelt unbelievably good too. Vanilla?

''How's Timothy?'' she asked, not just to fill the awkwardness of the surprise, she really wanted to know.

''A little disappointed. My colleagues didn't manage to give him the answers he wanted to hear about his butterfly's situation,'' he explained as he was removing his coat and gently laid it on the armchair next to him.

''Oh, really?'' she simply had to laugh.

''Yeah.'' Patrick could have sat anywhere in the room, but he chose the spot next to her without thinking twice, quickly crossing his legs as their knees brushed against each other as he sat down, ''He is determined to get to the bottom of it on his own, so you can imagine the state our flat is in right now. Filled with books about butterflies and my old Lancet magazines. But I admire his perseverance.''

''He's a good kid. And smart.''

''Thank you.'' They were sitting so close he could feel her body heat on him. It was so easy to be himself when he was around her. Which scared him but at the same time made him calmer than he had been in years. ''He did ask about you, you know? More than once, actually.'' The boy was smitten with her the same way as his father. And Patrick could not blame him.

''Do say hello to him. And if he needs some help with his homework, let me know. I'm happy to help. Really.'' Why did he have to sit so close to her!? The faint smell of his cologne was all around her, making her feel dizzy in the best possible way.

''I will.'' This should be more awkward then it was. But it simply wasn't. They were stuck on a couch, talking nonsense for a couple of more minutes. They mostly talked about work and for some reason about his funny looking ties. It was only when Shelagh asked him where was he getting them from, blushing in the next second, she realized she might have crossed a line.

''What do you mean? I think the puke yellow goes great with my eyes!'' Patrick laughed, ''Look.'' He pulled the tie out of his waistcoat and held it next to his face, ''See? Perfect!''

''So, you do know they look hideous and you still wear them?''

''Mainly to annoy Tim. Plus I have no fashion sense or the time to care, really," he admitted.

''Well, then, I'll help you. If you want me to?! I mean, you look great, I just…'' Oh, god, Shelagh stop it!

''It's a date," Patrick quickly said, ''I mean, not _a date,_ just, you know…not that I would mind or…'' you are an idiot! A complete idiot! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!

They just kept mumbling for a while, trying to say the right thing, until they both burst into giggles like two teenagers on a first date. And they would have continued if Violet hadn't asked them to finally join them for dinner.

And stepping into the dining room they discovered they were once again seated next to each other behind a tiny table. But this time, they didn't mind when their knees stayed glued to each other during the whole meal.

* * *

**beta: weshallc**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

‘’Thank you for a lovely evening, Violet.’’ Shelagh first hugged her and then turned to Fred who still had the biggest grin on his face, ‘’Thanks, Fred.’’

‘’Anytime,’’ he simply replied and kissed her cheek.

‘’Yes, thank you, both of you,” Patrick chipped in, pulling his coat on before reaching for Shelagh’s. After the initial shock of seeing her standing in the middle of the Buckle’s living room, he had to admit he just had one of the loveliest nights in a while. The only way it could be even better is if he would be spending it alone with Shelagh.

‘’Oh, thanks,’’ she smiled at him and let him help her put her coat on.

‘’Here, I’ve packed something for Tim,” Violet pushed a paper bag into Patrick’s hand.

‘’Oh, Vi you shouldn’t.’’

‘’It’s nothing much. Plus, the boy is growing, he needs all the help we can give him.’’

‘’Thanks. Bye.’’ They said their goodbyes and suddenly he was out on the street with Shelagh standing next to him.

‘’This was nice,’’ Shelagh was the first to speak.

‘’It was.’’ He gave her one of his smiles that simply made her knees go weak. It was so nice to simply enjoy her company. And with Fred and Violet there, he had had more than one opportunity to stare at her a little longer than was appropriate. And the heat of her knee against his! Having her so close was at moments a little too much for him to handle, really.

‘’Well, then…’’ Shelagh had no idea how to do this. She didn’t want to go say goodbye to him. Especially after tonight. He wasn’t only nice, he was funny and playful and…she wanted to know more about him. All those little things that would make her fall in love with him even more…oh, god! LOVE? Where did that come from?! She couldn’t be in love! She’d never been in love!?

‘’Are you alright?’’ Patrick got worried for a second when he saw her face fall.

‘’What? Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.’’ Shelagh snapped out of it hearing his voice, ‘’I’m just tired, that’s all.’’ Love? 

‘’Once again, I’m sorry Fred didn’t tell you I was joining you tonight. I didn’t want to…’’

‘’No, no. It’s perfectly alright.’’ Shelagh quickly cut him, ‘’I’ve had a really good time.’’

‘’Me too.’’

‘’Well…I’ll see you in the hospital, then?’’

‘’Amm, yeah, see you.’’

They had literally had to force themselves to walk away from each other. Shelagh was already around the corner when his voice made her turn around.

‘’Shelagh?’’ The way he was able to say her name, so gentle and soft. It was simply beautiful.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Actually…wou-would you mind me walking you home?’’ he asked out of breath as he had just run to her like a mad man. He couldn’t end their evening like this. It didn’t feel right.

‘’Are you sure? Don’t you have Tim to get home to?’’

‘’It’s only ten,” he looked at his watch. ‘’He’s already in bed by now and I’ve got the nanny till midnight. Plus, I would feel so much better to know you got home safe. So…may I??’’

‘’You may,’’ Shelagh blushed but he didn’t notice as he gave her the biggest smile he could. She said yes!

They walked side by side to the nearest tube station, talking about everything and nothing the whole ride to Shelagh’s. They even missed a station as they were so engaged in their conversation. But they didn’t mind. It gave them some more time to enjoy each other’s company.

‘’Well, that’s me,” Shelagh announced as they finally arrived in front of her building. ‘’Thank you for coming with me.’’ She stepped on the first step and turned around to face him. This time literally, as the height of the step made her able to look him directly into his dark eyes.

‘’It was my pleasure,’’ he said without losing a beat. He was literally on the other side of London but he didn’t mind. He was with her!

‘’Amm...’’ she had no idea what the next step was. Should she invite him up or just say her goodbyes? Luckily for her he could see she didn’t know what to do, so he took the lead.

‘’I know this might sound crazy but…’’ he took a deep breath before he continued. He knew there was a chance she could say no, a chance to ruin everything and make it weird, but at the same time he knew he would be hitting himself on the head the whole way home if he didn’t ask ‘’…would you mind doing this again?’’

‘’I-…’’

‘’Just without Fred and Violet, just you and me, just us…alone.’’ He blurted the words out, ‘’I mean, like a-a d-date, but only if you want to. You don’t need to say yes, I just thought, ammm…maybe a dinner or a movie, it doesn’t really matter, I just want to…I don’t really know what, but I’d love to…’’

‘’Yes,’’ Shelagh put him out of his misery.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Yes.’’ She nodded and with a single word made him the happiest man on Earth. ‘’Yes,’’ she repeated, letting him know she was all in.

‘’Brilliant!’’ He was sure she would say no to him. But she didn’t! ‘’How does tomorrow sound?’’

His enthusiasm made her giggle, ‘’I’m working the night shift, but I’m free on Sunday.’’

‘’Sunday it is.’’ He knew was on call that day but Dr McNulty owned him a favor and the day to finally collect it was here.

‘’I have my choir practice at 5 p.m. but I think we should be finished by 7.’’ Shelagh suddenly remembered, ‘’It’s held in the church next to the community center in Poplar.’’

‘’I can meet you there if you want.’’

‘’Yeah, that would be great.’’

‘’Good. Till Sunday, then.’’ Patrick was about to say goodbye when she caught his right hand in hers, ‘’Here.’’ She pulled a pen out of her purse, raised the sleeve of his coat and jacket, and wrote her number on his hairy skin ‘’Just in case, you know if you change your mind or something.’’

‘’I won’t.’’ how could she even think that!? Nothing could stop him from showing up at the church on Sunday evening. Nothing!

‘’Good night, then.’’ She was about to let go of his hand, but he suddenly grabbed hers. Looking up from their hands she locked her eyes with his. He was smiling and before she knew it Patrick leaned in closer and placed a slow gentle kiss on her cheek. She could feel his afternoon stubble grazing over her skin and it felt good and new and exciting. He surprised her, but in the best possible way.

‘’Good night, Shelagh.’’ His warm breath tickled her cold skin as he pulled back and walked away not saying another word.

‘’Good night, _Patrick_.’’


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

‘’Dad?’’ Timothy popped his head into his dad’s bedroom.

‘’Yes, son?’’ Patrick replied not taking his gaze off himself as he was checking himself in the mirror, trying yet another tie.

‘’Where are you going?’’

‘’Maybe later, OK?’’ It was Sunday afternoon and Patrick had spent the whole day getting ready for his date with Shelagh. It’d been ages since he had been on one and to be completely honest with himself, he was starting to get nervous.

‘’What?’’ Tim walked in and sat on the bed.

‘’What?’’

‘’I’ve asked where are you going?’’ Tim repeated his questions. He had no idea what was going on but his dad had been acting weird...at least weirder than usual, that is.

‘’I’ve told you, I’m going out. Oh, crap.’’ Patrick removed the fifth tie he had just tied around his neck. He really had the ugliest collection of ties in the whole country.

‘’Out where?’’ Tim continued, watching his dad going through another drawer, getting more and more frustrated.

‘’Just out.’’

‘’With whom?’’

‘’Just some friends...’’

‘’What friends?’’ Tim chuckled, well aware his old dad didn’t have any friends, except Uncle Fred and Auntie Vi.

‘’Tim!?’’ Patrick stopped his search and looked at the boy.

‘’Dad?’’ Tim simply smiled back at him, wearing his spitfire airplane PJs.

‘’Alright.’’ Patrick gave in and forget about his tie for a second as he sat next to his son on the bed. In the past years Patrick had tried to be as honest as possible with him. It hadn’t always been easy, but it was important for Patrick to know that Tim knew they were a team. No matter what. ‘’I’m going out with...Nurse Mannion.’’ Patrick said with no idea what his son’s reaction would be. But as always, he did not disappoint. 

‘’Shelagh!?’’ Tim jumped on his feet, ‘’Can I come with you?! Can I?!?’’

‘’No, Tim you can’t,’’ Patrick chuckled.

‘’Oh, come on! Why not?’’ his smile fell, ‘’I promise I’ll behave! I won’t even mention the butterflies, I promise!’’

‘’Tim...’’

‘’Please Dad, please!’’

‘’Tim, you know Granny Parker is looking forward spending some time with you tonight.’’ Patrick tried to calm him down. But who could blame him? He himself would throw a tantrum if someone said he could not see her.

‘’I know, but Shelagh...’’

‘’Okay, listen...’’ Patrick pulled him onto his lap to try him calm down, ‘’…the reason you can’t come with me is b-because…’’

‘’What?’’

‘’…it’s because, well…’’

‘’Just come out with it!’’

‘’Tim!’’ How in the world do you tell you kid you are going on a date with a woman who isn’t their mother?

‘’Are you two going on a date???’’ Timothy finally put two and two together, ‘’Is that the reason you and the whole flat smells so funny?’’

‘’Funny? What do you mea-…? Funny?!’’ He could not! He’d already showered three times today, even shaved twice! He’s picked his finest cologne, for god’s sake! He could not smell funny! Not for Shelagh!

‘’I’m kidding!’’ Tim burst in laughter as he saw his father sniffing himself.

‘’Tim!’’ Patrick joined him in the next second ‘’You little…come here.’’ He started tickling him, making his laughter get even louder.

‘’DAD! NO, DAD! STOP IT!’’ Tim tried to get out of his hold but Patrick wasn’t done with him. Little monkey!

‘’Who smells funny, hmm??’’

‘’NO ONE, NOOOO ONE!’’ by this time Tim was laughing so hard his stomach had started to hurt, ‘’DAAAD!!’’

‘’Come here!’’ he pulled him into a hug and Tim went gladly. It wasn’t often enough they had the chance to simply muck around. ‘’I love you; you know.’’ Patrick whispered into his hair. He was going to be 11 in two months, but he’d always be his little boy. Always.

‘’I know! And I love you too, Dad.’’ Tim pulled back to look at his dad.

‘’Would you mind if it was a date?’’ he finally found the courage to ask.

‘’No.’’ The boy shook his head without blinking, ‘’I like her. And I want you to be happy, Dad.’’ And with that Patrick almost started to cry. How could he be so lucky?

‘’Tim…’’

‘’Get her some flowers! Auntie Vi says it’s important to give a girl flowers!’’

‘’And what kind should I get her?’’ Patrick raised his dark eyebrows.

‘’I don’t know.’’ Tim shrugged his shoulders ‘’The prettiest ones? Which is going to be hard as Shelagh’s very pretty.’’

‘’She is, isn’t she?’’ Patrick let go of him and stood up, ‘’Okay, I’ll get her flowers but first I need to pick the right tie, so…would you help me?’’

‘’Dad, you and I both know that all of your ties are ugly.’’ Tim crawled to the end of the bed to have a better view of the open drawer.

‘’Just help me pick one, would you?’’ Patrick chuckled, knowing he was right.

‘’Alright,’’ Tim walked to him, ‘’how about this one?’’ He picked out a simple black one.

‘’Perfect.’’ Patrick took it from him, raised the collar of his white shirt up and tied it. Checking himself in the mirror he buttoned up his black waistcoat, pulled his jacket on and turned to his son, ‘’How do I look?’’

‘’Great, Dad! Really great. But…’’

‘’But what?’’

‘’You’ll need some more brylcreem.’’ Tim replied, already running to the bathroom to get it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter XII**

''Open wide,'' Trixie said to Shelagh as she applied her mascara, ''and bat.''

''Trixie, are you sure about this?'' Shelagh had never been a big fan of make-up. But after almost fifteen minutes of girlish screaming after she had arrived home the other evening and had told her friend what had happened, Trixie had insisted in helping her get ready for tonight's date.

''Absolutely. You look gorgeous! Here, look for yourself.'' Trixie handed her a mirror, ''The old Doc is going to have a heart when he sees you.''

''I wish you'd stop calling him old,'' Shelagh chuckled as she checked herself. Trixie was right, she did not look that bad, not bad at all. A touch of powder, a light red lipstick and just a few brushes of mascara.

''I'm just teasing.'' Trixie stood up, ''Now, about the dress…''

''Nothing too much above the knee…'' Shelagh quickly said.

''Oh, Shelagh you've got a gorgeous pair of legs, you know!''

''I know, but I'm going to my choir practice first, remember? I can't go to church wearing that?'' she pointed to one of the shortest dresses Trixie had in her closet.

''Oh, yeah…how about this one?''

''That's a miniskirt!''

''Shela-…''

''No!'' Shelagh had to laugh at the disappointed look on Trixie's face, ''Forget it, I'll just wear my skinny jea-…''

''Oh, no! I'm not letting you go on a first date with your future husband wearing jeans! Not going to happen!'' Trixie got serious.

''What are you talking about? My future husband? We didn't even…''

''Listen to me.'' Trixie walked to her, ''Would you please trust me with this?''

''I…''

''Shelagh, please?''

''Alright.'' She finally gave in. If there was someone who knew what they were doing when it came to fashion, Trixie was your girl. ''But nothing above…''

''Knees, yeah, yeah, I know!'' Trixie ended her sentence, already walking out of the room to get her friend the perfect outfit; that would make any man lose their mind seeing her, nevermind the old Doc.

**xXx**

''You look good, you look good!'' Patrick mumbled to himself the whole way to Poplar. With every minute passed, he was getting more and more nervous. Was the tie Tim had picked alright? Were the flowers he had bought beautiful enough? Was he wearing too much brylcreem? All the stuff he had almost never cared about suddenly seemed important. He didn't want her to take a single look at him and regret her decision of doing this. No matter what, he was a widower who was 13 years older than her and she? She was perfect.

Finally arriving in front of the church, he checked his watch and saw he was about 15 minutes early. Great! More free time to get even more nervous. He thought to himself and smelled the roses he got her, for the tenth time! For god's sake, Patrick just calm down! She would have said no if she didn't want to go out with you!

Luckily for him, a shower started, making him walk inside the church so he wouldn't get all wet. Closing the old door behind him, he heard it.

The most beautiful voice he had even heard. _Her_ voice.

She was singing a solo and it was like the world stopped spinning. Before he knew it, he was walking down the altar, where the choir was, forgetting to make a sign of the cross, forgetting about his stupid worries about flowers and his stupid hair.

Her voice! There was such comfort in the beauty of it, that it almost made him cry. It was like everyone else melted away and it was just her. In her tight black dress with a few silver stars scattered all over it. She was simply beautiful and Patrick knew for certain, that from this moment on his heart and soul would belong to her.

He had no idea when he sat down in one of the pews. Or when the singing stopped. Suddenly he blinked and he could see her hips swinging in the most tasteful way possible as she was walking towards him.

''Hi,'' she said with this shyness in her voice when she reached him. She hadn't noticed him coming in until she stopped singing, but simply seeing him sitting in one of the rows made her feel excited. He came!

''H-hello!'' Patrick snapped out of it and stood up. She was wearing a pair of silver high heels and they made her look just a bit taller than she really was. The only thing that went through his head was the fact that he would be able to kiss her even sooner if he leaned down. But he didn't. They were still in God's house, after all. ''Your voice…I…it's beautiful.''

''Thank you.'' Shelagh blushed.

''I've got you these.'' He suddenly remembered and reached for the flowers abandoned on the pew!

''Roses?'' She really did not expect him to get her flowers, but on the other hand, this was a date.

''I'm sorry they are pink. They didn't have any red ones.''

''I prefer pink anyway, thank you.'' Shelagh took the small bouquet from him and slowly inhaled the smell of it. He really was something. ''I thought you've said you only own ugly ties,'' she tried to break the tension and it worked. Plus, he really looked good! Black suit, white shirt and not an ugly tie. And his hair! She was so used to his floppy look that it really surprised her to see him looking so dapper!

''Tim helped,'' Patrick admitted, still smiling like an idiot.

''Oh, so, h-he knows about this?'' Shelagh got worried for a second, ''about the d-date, I mean.''

''He does,'' Patrick responded as they started walking out of the church. ''I hope you didn't mind me telling him, but I don't like keeping secrets from him. Not since his mother…'' His voice trailed out. ''I'm sorry, I shouldn't…''

''No, it's okay.'' Shelagh quickly calmed him down by placing a hand on his arm,''He's your son, and if you think it's alright for him to know, then it's alright.''

''He likes you, you know.'' Patrick opened the church door for her. ''He even wanted to come with me.''

''Oh, really?'' Shelagh chuckled and almost stopped in place as she walked past him. His cologne hit her nostrils and _oh, my god_ , he smelt unbelievably good! This was going to be a long evening of self-torture!

''Yeah, but fortunately I've managed to convince him to stay at home.''

''And how did you do that?''

''Easy,'' Patrick proudly grinned, making Shelagh's forehead frowned, ''with tickling.''

''Oh!'' tickling was the last thing she would think of, but it was nice to know the man standing before her had a healthy relationship with his son, no matter what.

''Shall we?'' Patrick placed a hand on the small of her back when their laughter calmed down.

''Where are we going?''

''You'll see.'' He smirked and for the very first time winked at her, making her blush even harder. He had had only one day to plan the perfect date and he could only hope she would like it. And she would if the restaurant didn't mix his booking information…

* * *

**yeah, I've stolen a few words from the show ;) sorry Heidi...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter XIII**

''I'm so sorry, I have no idea what happened.'' Patrick could not stop apologizing to her. He was sure he had given the right date and hour for his reservation but apparently something had gone wrong. And he felt horrible about it. This was supposed to be perfect! And here they were, standing on the pavement in front of a busy restaurant.

''Patrick, it's alright.'' She tried to calm him down as she saw how upset he was.

''But it's not.'' He shook his head, still not quite believing how hard he had managed to screw up the whole thing, ''This wasn't…''

''Patrick,'' she took his hand in hers and could feel him relax in an instant, ''we can go somewhere else, I really don't care.''

''But, you look so beautiful an-and…''

''Come.''

''What?''

''Just come.'' Shelagh had to pull him with her.

''Where are we going?'' She was amazing. He had just ruined their date and she was completely calm about the whole thing. No eye-rolling, no ugly comments. She simply took his hand and started dragging him down the street. ''Shelagh?''

''Look…'' she stopped in place making him bump into her, when he didn't stop calling her name ''…I don't need a fancy restaurant to have a good time, Patrick. I'm not that kind of a girl, so stop worrying about it.''

''But…''

''No, buts.'' She pressed her finger on his lips, silencing him in a moment. She really was a bold girl when she wanted to be. ''Are you hungry?''

''Mhm.'' He mumbled as her finger was still on him, preventing him from speaking up.

''Alright then.'' She smiled at his adorable confused expression, removed her finger and started pulling him behind her once again.

They walked hand in hand, in complete silence for a couple of more minutes, until they finally reached Shelagh's destination.

''Shelagh, no. We can't…'' He tried to protest when he saw an old dark green fish & chips van in front of them. She must have been kidding!? She deserved so much more than just a fish and potatoes on their first date!

''Patrick, just trust me, Granger and son have the best fish and chips in the city.''

And 10 minutes later he understood what she was talking about as they were walking through a little park, eating the best meal Patrick had had in while. ''Oh, my god! This is the best fish and chips I've ever had in my life!''

''I've told you!''

''I really am sorry about the restaurant, you know.'' He apologized once again, still feeling bad about the whole thing.

''Just eat your chips.'' she playfully replied and stole one from him. But he didn't mind. She already stole a piece of his heart, why not his food?

They spent the next half an hour simply talking. Mostly about her singing and the fact she had delivered her first baby all by herself in the hospital, just two days ago. He loved listening to her voice.

''Did you always want to become a doctor?'' she handed him a paper napkin when they were done eating, feeling a little bad as she was the only one talking.

''Yeah, I actually did," Patrick replied without losing a beat.

''Why OB-GYN?''

''Well,…'' Patrick wasn't expecting to bring up this part of himself on their first date but the words just came out ''…I actually wanted to be a trauma surgeon at first. I was even in the medical corps... but not for long.''

''May I ask what happened?''

''You may...'' He took her empty fish and chip box out of her hands and with one throw it the bin near the bench they were passing.

''You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to.'' Shelagh quickly said as she could see him tense.

''No, it's not that I don't want to, it's just...'' Patrick returned back to her side ''...I don't want Trixie to bite my head off when she finds out I've messed up our reservation _and_ spent the evening of our first date talking to you about horrors of war.'' He chuckled, well aware women as men talk.

''Don't worry, she won't,'' Shelagh took his hand and lightly squeezed it. ''So, you're telling me there will be a second?'' she tried to lighten the mood when she saw a light sadness in his eyes.

''Well…I-I hope so, I mean, only, you k-know…''

Patrick got nervous all of a sudden. Did he just blow his chance with her…all over again?

''I'd love to.'' Shelagh pulled him out of his misery and hooked her arm around his before he could finish his sentence. He was adorable when he got all nervous.

Patrick kept walking down the path with her glued to his side, a big grin spread all over his face. He could feel her body warmth pressed against his, the weight of her arm in his...it felt heavenly having her so close to him.

''Are you OK?'' She didn't mind he wasn't telling her what had happened, he had all the right not to, but she still wanted to know how he was doing.

''I am,'' he instantly knew what she was asking him, ''at least now. I hope you don't mind me not telling, I just...''

''No, not at all. We all have secrets, Dr Turner.''

''Are you telling me that Miss Mannion has a secret of her own?'' he turned his head to look at her, a playful smirk written all over his handsome face.

''She might.'' She giggled.

''Should I take my chances and ask?''

''No.'' she giggled even harder. There was no chance she was telling him, she wanted to become a nun when she was younger. Not on their first date!

''That bad, hmmm?''

''It's not that bad, not bad at all, just...''

''I understand.''

''Thanks.'' She looked up and faced him. At her relief, he was smiling back at her. He really was a handsome devil, she thought to herself as he kept his gaze on her. She could even feel herself blushing but even if he noticed it, he didn't say a word. ''So, what now?'' she asked when they exited the park.

''How about a drink?'' Patrick pointed to a crowded pub opposite them. He hated not having her to himself but he noticed she was starting to get cold as he felt her shiver next to him a couple of times.

''I have a better idea.''

* * *

**beta: weshallc! :D thank you**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter XIV**

''Should I take my shoes off?'' Patrick asked as they stepped into her flat. If someone had said to him he would be spending his evening at Shelagh's, he would have called them crazy. But here he was.

''Oh, no, don't worry about it.'' She locked the door behind them and turned around to face him. She had no idea what or how it had happened, but the thought of them spending the rest of the evening in a crowded pub with no privacy, had made her be bold again.

''Here, let me help you.'' He offered his assistance in removing his jacket from her shoulders, the same jacket he had placed lovingly around her shoulders earlier.

''Thank you.'' She turned her back to him and could feel a shiver working its way down her spine in contrast to his hot breath on her neck. Not moving from her spot, she let him remove his jacket and simply enjoy his closeness. Why was he making her feel this way? All mushy inside. She was 28 years old and Patrick Turner was the first man who had made her long for something more than just friendship.

''Drink?'' she had to force the words out of her mouth. She needed to get away from him or else who knows what might happen?

''Sure.'' Patrick smirked and followed her into the kitchen. He could see she was nervous, but it was a good thing because he was feeling the same way. They had held hands the whole way to her place, but my god, his whole body itched to hold her in his arms.

''We don't have any alcohol in the house, so it's coffee or tea I'm afraid.''

''That's alright. I'm not much of a drinker, anyway.''

''Neither am I.''

''So, tea it is!'' he smiled and walked closer to her, ''How can I help?''

''Ammm...just make yourself comfortable.''

''Are you sure?'' he knew she was more than capable of making them a cup of tea all by herself, but he simply enjoyed being in her company no matter what they were doing.

''You can put some music on, if you want to?'' It wasn't that she minded him helping out, she just needed a few moments on her own to collect her thoughts.

''Alright.''

''Trixie got us a record player last week. We only have a few vinyl from the 50s and 60s, but I think you should be able to find something appropriate.''

''I'll try my best.'' Patrick put his hands in his trouser pockets, winked at her and disappeared through the door opposite the kitchen.

''Oh, god.'' Shelagh took a deep breath when he disappeared from view. With Trixie spending the evening with Christopher she had thought inviting Patrick to her place was a good idea. But now that he was here, making her feel so many things at once without even doing anything…she just needed a break from his charm and that damn cologne that smelled unbelievably good!

Even before she had put everything on a little tray, the sound of one of her favourite songs filled the entire flat. Forgetting about the tea she was transported to another time and place Shelagh made her way to the living room and saw him standing by the window with his back turned to her.

''Jim Reeves?'' her voice made him turn around and oh, my god! At some point Patrick had pulled up his shirt sleeves, making his forearms completely visible to her. She wanted to say more, but simply couldn't!

''Yeah.'' Patrick smiled, completely oblivious of what was going through her mind at the moment, ''My dad had an old cassette when I was a child and I was obsessed with it. I hope it's alright.''

''Perfect.'' She managed to say. Then, before she knew it, Patrick walked to her and without saying a thing, stretched out his hand. For a second Shelagh had no idea what to do next, not until she looked up at his smiling face. He was simply too adorable to say no to him.

As she took his hand, Patrick gently pulled her into his body, placed his free hand on the small of her back and slowly started to move to the music. The sudden closeness made Shelagh feel shy all of a sudden. Her whole body was pressed into his so tight she forgot to breathe for a moment. He was warm and inviting and it was a good thing he was holding her or she was sure her legs would have given in if he hadn't.

Without saying much Patrick slowly swayed them to the music, patiently waiting for her to look up. And after a few steps as Shelagh felt her blush submitted to the point, she felt comfortable in her own skin, she finally looked up from his chest. And when she did, she was rewarded with the loveliest grin she had ever seen. He really was something, she thought to herself when he kept looking at her.

''Hi,'' he gently greeted her and it simply made her smile.

''Hi,'' this wasn't bad, not bad at all! Gripping his shoulder with a little more confidence she leaned further into him and that was all the push Patrick needed.

Slowing their movements, he let go of her hand and cupped her cheek. And before Shelagh knew it, Patrick closed the distance between them and placed a soft kiss on her lips. If it was someone else Shelagh was sure she would have pushed them away, but it was him.

It took her a moment to kiss him back but when she did, there was no going back. Stepping onto her tiptoes her hand found its way around his neck, burying her fingers into his dark hair. Her head was spinning but she didn't care. He was kissing her! And what a kiss it was!

He definitely knew what he was doing and when he lowered his hands onto her hips, pulling her even further into his body, Shelagh could not help but softly moan into his mouth.

It had been ages since Patrick had kissed someone, but by Shelagh's reactions it seemed he still knew what he was doing. It wasn't in his plan to kiss her tonight; he had imagined it but never in his wildest dreams thought he would actually do it. But it felt right! She felt right!

Their lips moved in a perfect symphony, all until Patrick got a little too confident and tried to deepen the kiss. Feeling his soft pink tongue touching her lips for the very first time made Shelagh jump away from him as if she had just been burned by something.

''I'm sorry!'' Patrick quickly said trying to catch his breath at the same time. She was staring at him, her mouth slightly open, with her cheeks flushed, not saying a word. ''I'm so sorry. I di-…'' he didn't get the chance to finish his apology as Shelagh launched herself back into his arms, covering his lips with such force he almost lost his balance. He suddenly realized it wasn't her rejecting him, he had just taken her by surprise.

Not risking losing any more time Shelagh instantly deepened their kiss and it was Patrick's turn to moan. This was getting better and better by the passing minute. He let her take total control of the situation and Shelagh was thankful for that. In truth she had only ever kissed two men, who were in truth at the end of the day still boys. But none of them came close to Patrick.

He had this ability to be gentle and strong at the same time. Because as his hands were holding her steady and confident against himself, his soft lips were making her lose her mind. She could kiss him forever but unfortunately at some point, they had to break apart to take a breath.

''Sorry…'' Shelagh said out of breath with her eyes still closed.

''Oh, my god.'' Was the only response she got for him, before he rested his forehead against hers. He as she was overwhelmed with what had just happened between them ''Shel-…''

''Don't.'' She covered his mouth with her palm and smiled. She just wanted to treasure the moment and he simply got it. He silently took her hand in his and pressed a kiss on it.


	15. Chapter 15

It was something after one in the morning when Patrick finally left Shelagh's. He could still taste her lipstick on his swollen lips, feel her curves under his fingertips, smell her perfume. She was all around him, making him feel like he was the happiest man in the whole universe.

He was walking down the street with the biggest smirk on his face, but he couldn't care less. After their breathing had returned back to normal, Shelagh had pulled him onto the couch where they had simply continued with their makeout session, their tea long forgotten. It had been slow and sweet at the same time. Interrupted only when they had cracked a joke or when his gentle touches had made Shelagh ticklish to the point she had erupted in sets of giggles with no way of stopping her.

Their clothes had stayed on through the entire evening, except his tie, which Shelagh had loosened when she had pulled him into another kiss by pulling onto it.

At first sight she looked so innocent and gentle, but the hickey just above his shirt collar changing its colour by each passing minute had told Patrick that she was so much more than that.

It took him a while but eventually Patrick arrived home. Closing and locking the door behind him as quietly as possible. He made his way to the living room where the lights were still illuminating the room. There was no sign of Tim, but his mother-in-law was peacefully sleeping on the couch with the telly still on. Her support had been everything to Patrick ever since Marianne's death.

As quietly as possible Patrick turned off the telly, covered her with a blanket and turned off the lights, before making his way upstairs. Stopping by his son's bedroom, he checked on the boy who was peacefully sleeping with his old teddy bear, Cuthbert, by his head. No matter what had happened, Patrick felt blessed having him in his life.

Tim didn't even twitch as his dad placed a kiss on his forehead and tucked him in, before finally making his way into his own bed.

Without even bothering to take his clothes off, Patrick laid down on his bed. He could still smell Shelagh's perfume all over him, even feel her fingers in his hair. For the very first time in a very long time, Patrick fell asleep with a smile on his face. He was happy and he could only hope Shelagh felt the same.

And she did.

Because from the moment Patrick had said his goodbyes Shelagh could not stop smiling...or shaking! So much had happened in the last few hours and she still could not believe she had kissed him back! Even more than just kissed!

She had literally pulled him on the couch, making him cover her body with his as their lips had danced the dance of its lifetime.

It had been so long since she had felt a man's weight on hers, it should have felt intimidating. But not with Patrick. He had been gentle and caring, and no matter if she had felt his fingers just under the hem of her dress or around her body he never once had gone further than she let him. He had been a complete gentleman through and through and it only made him even more lovable than he already was.

She wanted to take a quick shower before bed but she didn't want to wash his scent from her body! The feel of his lips on her neck and cheeks and lips! His stubble leaving little marks all over her delicate skin! He had even removed her glasses at some point, only to place a few fatherly kisses on her eyelids.

Good god! Trixie was going to lose her mind when she finds out about what had happened on their little couch tonight. And to be completely honest Shelagh could not wait to tell her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

It had been 5 hours, 23 minutes and 53 seconds since Patrick had held Shelagh in his arms. The moment the alarm clock had woken him up, she had been the only thing on his mind.

After a quick shower, Patrick made his way to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee before going to work. When he walked into the room he almost jumped out of his skin when he saw his mother-in-law sitting behind the table, enjoying her coffee.

''Good morning, Patrick.'' She calmly greeted him, with a little smirk playfully making its appearance in the corner of her mouth.

''G-Good morning.'' He quickly buttoned up the top button of his shirt in an attempt to cover up the hickey Shelagh's mouth had made.

''Sleep well?''

''Yes, thank you. You?'' He took a mug from the cupboard and filled it with already brewed coffee.

''I did.'' She took another sip, quietly waiting for him to sit down. ''Thank you for the blanket, by the way.''

''No problem.''

''So…'' she started when he finally sat down opposite her, ''…what's her name?''

''What?'' Patrick almost spilled his drink all over himself. Had Tim said anything to her after he had left yesterday?

''What's her name?'' she calmly repeated her question.

''Ammm...'' Patrick had no idea what to say. Would she be mad, or maybe even disappointed by the fact he had met someone? It's been three years since Marianne's death, surely, she could understand…

''Patrick dear,…'' His track of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by the touch of her hand.

''Look, I don't know what Tim's said to you but...'' he started to explain himself but she quickly interrupted him. ''It's alright, dear.''

''What?'' he frowned his eyebrows in surprise.

''It's alright to move on, you know,'' she simply said, with a soft smile of understanding. ''She would want you to.''

''But...''

''No buts, my boy.'' His mother in law laughed at his confused expression, ''I don't know who she is but the grin on your face tells it all. And it's been too long since I've saw you smile, Patrick dear.''

He could see she wasn't messing with him. They had always had a healthy relationship, but how do you tell your ex-mother-in-law you've met someone who is making you feel alive again only by thinking about her?

''And by what Timothy's told me, she must be very special.'' She added, encouraging him to open up about this new woman in their life.

''S-Shelagh, her name is Shelagh.'' Patrick gave in when he realized he wasn't going to upset her talking about the possibility of finally moving on with his life. Yes, he was a grown-up man who could make his own life decisions, but he needed to make sure she knew that no one could replace Marianne's place in his heart, or Tim's. She was his first true love, she was the mother of his child and nothing could change that. Nothing and never.

**xXx**

''I can't believe it!'' Trixie said for the hundredth time since Shelagh had told her about her date with Patrick.

''Trixie, you have to stop,'' Shelagh simply replied. It had been fun for the first ten times, but Trixie simply could not stop gushing over the whole thing. She had done it over breakfast, on the tube getting to the hospital and in the changing room.

''Stop with what?'' Trixie simply could not wrap her head around the fact that always shy Shelagh had spent the evening making out with Patrick on their couch.

''You know exactly what I'm talking about,'' Shelagh said as they were walking down the hospital hall.

''I do,'' Trixie could not help herself. What had happened between Dr Turner and her best friend was on the border of a miracle and there was no way Shelagh was getting off the hook so easily. ''But you cannot blame me, I mean, you've spent your evening smooching Dr Turner and…''

''Lower your voice!'' Shelagh blushed. No matter Trixie was right, Shelagh didn't want the whole hospital to know about them, especially not before she and Patrick had the talk. He had wished her a good morning via text message and had asked her to have lunch with him. And to be completely honest she could not wait to see him in a few hours.

''Alright, alright.'' Trixie almost whispered, but still had the biggest grin on all over her face.

''Please don't do that when you see him.''

''Do what?''

''This grinning of yours. He will know I've told you.''

''So? You're my best friend, Shelagh. Plus, I'm quite sure he already knows.'' Trixie nodded her head to her left and when Shelagh turned around, she could see Patrick on the other side of the hall, talking to Nurse Crane.

He didn't see her, not yet, and for a moment she just stared at him. He was wearing his white coat with a white shirt and a light grey tie and waistcoat under it. He looked absolutely wonderful. She could hear Trixie saying something to her but she didn't listen. She just kept staring at him, until he looked up from the papers he and Phyllis were looking at, and saw her. For a second Shelagh had no idea how to react, and then he smiled at her.

''Shelagh?'' Trixie poked her ribs.

''What?''

''You're drooling,'' Trixie teased.

''I'm not drooling, I just…'' Shelagh looked back in Patrick's direction but he was already gone, Nurse Crane, making her way towards them.

''Nurse Mannion? Nurse Franklin?''

''Yes, Nurse Crane?'' The girls said in one voice.

''I'd advise you to stop wasting your time in the hall, exchanging gossip and get to work.''

''Yes, ma'am.''

''Nurse Mannion?'' Phyllis added when they started walking away.

''Yes?''

''Dr Turner asked me to tell you to stop by his office.''

''What? What for?'' Shelagh almost choked.

''Well, you better hurry up and find out. We have a busy day ahead of us, so stop wasting all of our time and go.''

''Amm, yes, sorry…thank you,'' Shelagh mumbled and made her way towards Patrick's office. She had no idea what this could be about. Was he regretting what had happened between them? Surely not! He wouldn't smile at her the way he had if he would be having doubts. But why had he asked to see her, if they had already arranged to have lunch together?

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his door. He answered,''Come in.'' His voice made her step in swiftly, before she knew it, Patrick shut the door behind her. He wrapped his free hand around her waist and started kissing her.

''P-Patr…'' she wanted to say but it was not use. His lips were on hers, bringing the butterflies in her stomach back to life. Without realizing when and how, he walked her backward until her back hit the hard wooden door, without letting go of her for a second. One of his hands made its way down her body, resting on her hips, while the other one buried into her hair.

After the initial shock, Shelagh finally started kissing him back and he responded with a simple moan, which got lost in her mouth. Good god, he was making her feel so many things with a simple kiss and she did not lose any more time before deepening it. And Patrick really did not mind a bit, as he pulled her even closer into his body with no intention of letting go of her. Not yet, anyway.

They simply kept kissing, their hands roaming all over their bodies while their tongues explored each other. Forgetting where they were for a minute or two, forgetting they needed to talk about all of this. They wrapped themselves in a warm bubble of love and the only reason they finally broke apart was the need to breathe.

''Hi,'' Patrick greeted her at last, while literally gasping for air. The last time he had acted this way was when he had been in high school.

''H-Hello.'' Shelagh sweetly smiled at him. He looked so adorable with his messy hair and swollen lips.

''I'm sorry, if…'' he wanted to apologize for surprising her like that, but she didn't let him as she stepped on her tiptoes and placed another kiss on his lips to shut him up. And unlike the previous one, this one was slow and gentle, which was in a way even better.

''I hope you don't mind me saying but…I've missed you.'' He blabbered out without thinking, but it didn't scare her. She knew exactly what he meant.

''I don't.'' Shelagh smiled, with her eyes still closed. ''I feel the same.''

''Good.'' He nuzzled his nose against hers, ''How are you?'' His hands still wrapped around her. He would gladly keep kissing her, but his body started to react to the closeness of hers and he needed to cool himself down. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away.

''I'm fine, more than fine, really.'' Shelagh finally opened her eyes and looked up at him. ''Don't get me wrong, but what brought this on?''

''I'm nor sure, really,'' Patrick chuckled. ''I just…I saw you and I…'' he could not explain to her, because in the reality he had no idea what was going on with him.

''Come here...'' she pulled him down into another kiss completely understanding what he was going through. She had felt the same from the moment he had left her flat yesterday. This urge to be held and kissed by him was strong and no matter that she could not understand it as it was so new to her, she knew he was the only one who could save her.

His soft lips traveled down from her lips on to her neck, gently sucking and licking, before covering her lips all over again. He was taller then she was, hovering over her as she was trapped in this bear hug of his. Not for one second did she feel unsafe or pushed into doing something she didn't want to do.

And who knew for how long they would have continued to explore each other if a loud strong knock behind them, hadn't made them jump apart.

''Come in,'' Patrick quickly replied while readjusting his tie, which Shelagh had managed to loosen.

''Dr Turner I'm sorry for bothering you, but Mrs Norman would like a word with you about baby Rex.'' Trixie's voice filled the room in the next second. ''Hi, Shelagh.'' She turned to her friend who was standing next to Patrick trying her best not to giggle. Shelagh knew Trixie had definitely put two and two together. Her ponytail was a mess, her scrubs were wrinkled and the pink blush creeping over her neck were signs enough for anyone to understand what the handsome Doctor and she had been up to.

''Ammm, y-yes, yes. I'll be right there.'' Patrick stuttered. The last time he had felt this way was when he had been 16 and his mum had busted into his room where he had been making out with a girl.

''Thank you Doctor,'' was all Trixie said before getting out of his office. But not before winking at Shelagh, who was still a little shocked by the fact Trixie had caught them.

''She knows, doesn't she? About us.'' Was the only thing Patrick said when the door closed.

''Kind of,'' Shelagh admitted, hoping he wouldn't be upset with her. ''She's my best friend and...'' she started to explain herself but Patrick simply gave her a peck to shut her up.

''I don't care.'' He whispered against her lips so honestly it almost made Shelagh cry

''So, there is an us, hmm?'' she playfully asked and could feel his whole body tensed in the next moment.

''I...well, I just, ammm...'' had he gone too far, too fast? Oh, god, he was such an idiot! They had been on one date and here he was assuming she wanted him the same way he wanted her. ''...would you like that?''

''I would.'' He was so sweet when he was nervous, Shelagh thought to herself.

''Good.'' He nodded, his eyes not leaving hers for a second.

''Good.'' She almost giggled as her chest filled with so much joy. She had no idea if she would be able to control it. ''See you at lunch?''

''See you at lunch.'' Patrick smiled, giving her another quick kiss and finally letting go of her so she could leave. They both had work to do, but he knew his morning would be filled with the thoughts of her.


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a long and hard day, but Shelagh had never felt more energized.

Patrick Turner was a man full of surprises! After their heated snog in his office and a lovely lunch in the cafeteria, Shelagh hadn't seen him all day. She had tried to say her goodbyes at the end of her shift but he had been held up in the delivery room with Nurse Dyer. So, at the end she had left him a sweet message on his desk, simply sighed with S, xoxox.

''Ready?'' Trixie asked when Shelagh sneaked out of Patrick's office, while her friend made sure the coast was clear. No matter that the hospital didn't officially prohibit relationships between co-workers, it didn't encourage it either. Plus, to be completely honest, Shelagh wanted Patrick to herself for a while. It was too fragile, too new to let anyone ruin it for them.

''Yeah, let's go.'' They had to stop by the shop to get some groceries and could not have been happier when they finally reached their place, almost two hours later.

''I can't wait to run myself a warm bubble bath.'' Trixie moaned as they were making their way up the stairway.

''Does that mean I'm stuck with making us something to eat?'' Shelagh playfully asked already aware she was. She didn't really mind, she loved to cook. And to be completely honest, Trixie's cooking wasn't something one would beg to have after a long day.

''Pleaseeee?'' Trixie turned to look at her with her pleading eyes, ''I'll do the dishes, I promise!''

''Like you did last week?'' Shelagh bit her inner cheek, remembering coming home to an even bigger pile of dirty dishes before she had left the place.

''I've said I was sorry. But Christopher was there and believe me when I say that doing dishes was the furthest thing from my mind. If you know what I mean.'' Trixie giggled when she saw she made her friend blush.

''Oh, alright, I'll make us something. But don't excep-…Trixie what's that?'' Shelagh suddenly stopped in place and pointed to a big puddle coming out from underneath their apartment door.

''Oh, shit!'' Trixie dropped the shopping bags she was holding and pulled the keys out of her purse. Unlocking the door as quickly as it was possible, she opened the door when a rush of cold water flooded their feet. ''Oh, crap! Not my shoes!''

''Trixie, forget about the shoes! Where is this water coming from!?'' Shelagh ran past her, checking the kitchen sink, before making her way into the bathroom. Where she discovered that the water was coming from inside the wall. ''Trixie, I think one of the pipes burst!''

''Oh, for god's sake! I told him there was some weird noise coming from the wall months ago!'' Trixie joined her in the bathroom.

''Told who?''

''Mr McGann, our landlord. He is useless, I'm telling you.'' Trixie said as she was already dialing his number. ''Perfect, just bloody perfect!'' she added when it went to voicemail. ''Shelagh! What are we going to do!? We are going to drown in our own apartment! I can't die! I'm too young to die!?''

''Stop panicking!''

''WHO'S PANICKING!?''

''Trixie! Just let me think!'' Shelagh raised her voice and it did the trick as Trixie stopped talking for a moment. At the end Shelagh did the only thing she could think of - turned off the main water stop valve under the sink and phoned Fred.

**xXx**

''You did the right thing.'' Fred walked out of the bathroom almost half-an-hour after Shelagh phoned him.

''That bloody McGann!'' Trixie almost cried, the water had ruined most of her shoes and it felt like the end of the world to her. ''He'll pay for each and every pair that got ruined!''

''So, what should we do now?'' Shelagh ignored her friends' moaning and focused on mopping the floor.

''You'll need to get a proper plumber to take a look. I did my best but I don't have the right tools with me.'' Fred explained, ''In the meanwhile, I'd suggest you two pack your things and move out for a while. By the look of this place, it will take that Mr McGann of yours a while to get it back to normal again.''

''I'll kill him!'' Trixie let go of the mop she was holding and walked out of the room to try and get hold of that Mr McGann again.

''Are you sure we can't stay?'' Shelagh tried, already aware there was no way they could. Their furniture and floor were soaked with water.

''No.'' Fred gave her a weak smile.

''Trixie is right, he is an idiot!''

''Yeah, he is!'' Trixie came back.

''Did you get him?''

''I did.''

''And?''

''He's said he'll stop over first thing tomorrow! Tomorrow! As if we don't have anything better to do!?'' At this point Trixie was almost screaming.

''But we both have work in the morning!'' Shelagh pointed out.

''I know!''

''Look, I'll meet him, alright?'' Fred calmed them down, ''You go to work and I'll talk to him, make sure he'll do the right thing.''

''Are you sure?''

''Yes.'' Fred hugged Trixie around her shoulder, trying his best to calm her down ''Now, get your things…we are getting out of here.''

''And go where exactly?'' Shelagh asked.

''We can stay with Christopher. I'll call him!'' Trixie quickly dialed his number. Following a brief conversation with her boyfriend, she let Shelagh know that his daughter Alexandra was staying with him this week, so if they wanted to move in with him Shelagh would have to sleep on a tiny couch.

''Look, you go to Chris and I'll take care of Shelagh.'' Fred chipped in when he saw Trixie wasn't keen on her best friend spending her night on an uncomfortable couch for who knew how long. ''We have a spare room.''

''Are you sure?'' Trixie asked Fred, but turned to Shelagh in the next moment. She didn't want her to feel as if she was dumping her in their moment of crisis.

''Well, if Fred is, so I am.'' Shelagh calmed her down. She didn't really mind where she would spend the night, the important thing was it wasn't somewhere wet.

''OK, then. Come on, get your things. I'll wait for you in the car,'' Fred said and walked out. Leaving both Shelagh and Trixie to find something dry to pack.

**xXx**

''Where are we?'' Shelagh asked about an hour later, as Fred parked his car in front of an unfamiliar looking building. Shelagh had thought they were going to his place after they had left Trixie at Christopher's, but apparently Fred had had something else on his mind.

''Fred, what've you done?'' Shelagh looked at him when he didn't answer her question.

''Well…I-I kind of lied to you.''

''What do you mean?''

''Reggie is staying with us and well, that spare room I was telling you about, it's kind of his for the next three weeks.'' Fred slowly said in hopes she wouldn't get upset.

''Alright, but where are we?'' Shelagh repeated her question, still having no idea why he had brought her here.

''At Patrick's…'' Fred whispered.

''Where?'' Shelagh could only hope she misheard him.

''I've brought you to Patrick's, alright?''

''FRED!? I can't…he can't…Fred!''

''No, no, it's alright! He knows you are coming! I texted him when I was waiting for you two!''

''FRED!?'' she slapped his shoulder.

''What?'' Fred started laughing, ''Come on, you like him and by what he told me, he is more than smitten with you.''

''He talked about me?'' Shelagh stopped for a moment and looked at him. Patrick talked about her with Fred!?

''He can't stop!'' Fred was telling the truth,''It's all Shelagh did that and Shelagh did this, every time I see him. So, do me a favour and get yourself inside, so he'll stop texting me about you every two seconds!''

''I can't believe you!'' Shelagh took her bag from the back seat and was about to get out of the car when she paused, ''Thank you.'' She placed a kiss on Fred's cheek and finally got out. This whole thing was crazy! But she had to admit to herself she was somehow excited to spend the night at his. But only a night! She would find somewhere else to stay tomorrow! It was only for tonight! She repeated as she was walking towards his front door, hoping Patrick was really okay with the whole thing.

Knocking on his door it took only a few moments for him to answer, but when he opened the door, Shelagh realized Fred was not telling the truth.


	18. Chapter 18

‘’Shelagh??’’ Patrick couldn’t believe his eyes! There he was doing the dishes with Tim and in the next moment she was standing in front of him, ‘’Wh-what are you doing here?’’

‘’Amm, well, I…’’ she looked over her shoulder, but Fred’s little van was already gone.

‘’What’s happened?’’ he didn’t let her finish when he noticed she had a bag in her hand and got scared for a second. ‘’A-Are you alright?’’

‘’Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.’’ Damn him! Why did he have to look this good?! His hair all out of place, the first three buttons of his shirt unbuttoned, giving her a good view of his long neck, with the top of his undershirt peeking out. Not to mention the way his braces hung loose against his body.

‘’Come in.’’ Patrick took the bag from her and moved aside so she could walk in, before she even got the chance to explain herself.

‘’I’m sorry I’ve shown up like this, but Fred told me you’re expecting me and…’’ she started to blabbered, feeling like an idiot to even be there. Fred was a dead man! This was the second time he had managed to set her up.

‘’Shelagh, please just come in.’’ Patrick took her hand in his and pulled her inside when he saw she was hesitating.

‘’Dad? What’s going on?!’’ Tim’s voice filled the hall. He got curious to where his dad had disappeared to and came to check what was going on. ‘’Shelagh!” the boy almost screamed and ran to her, when he saw who was standing next to his dad.

‘’Hi, Tim!’’ Shelagh could not but smile when he wrapped his arms around her waist, not bothered his hands were still wet from doing the dishes.

‘’Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?!’’ Tim looked at his Dad, feeling hurt.

‘’Well, I didn’t know, son.’’

‘’He really didn’t.’’ Shelagh quickly agreed, running her hand through the boy’s soft hair. He looked so much like his father, she thought to herself.

‘’Timothy, why don’t you go and put a kettle on.’’ Patrick gave his son a task so he could speak to Shelagh in private.

‘’Alright!’’ Tim finally let go of Shelagh and ran to the kitchen, leaving the pair alone.

‘’So…’’ Patrick placed her bag by the door and pull on his braces to make himself at least half presentable, ‘’…first thing first.’’ He smiled, leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips, ‘’Hello.’’

‘’Hi.’’ Shelagh blushed when she could literally feel his smile on her lips. She was still not quite used to any of these mushy things they had been doing for the last couple of days.

‘’Now…what’s going on?’’ he could not be happier to have her in his flat, but at the same time he was still worried that something bad had happened. So, Shelagh told him everything – about the burst pipe, stupid Mr. McGann and even more stupid Fred.

‘’I can’t believe him.’’ Patrick chuckled when Shelagh was done talking. The three of them were now sitting behind a small table, enjoying the tea Tim had made.

‘’Neither can I, but believe me when I say he’ll hear about this first thing tomorrow.’’ She knew she could never hold a grudge against Fred, and no matter it was sweet of him to play matchmaker, he should have told her the truth. Her and Patrick.

‘’Oh, I believe you.’’ Patrick grinned and took another sip of his tea.

‘’Does that mean you’ll stay here? With us!?’’ Timothy suddenly opened his mouth, looking at them with his big eyes.

‘’I…’’ Shelagh started, but Tim got even more excited, ‘’You can have my room if you want to!’’

‘’That’s very kind of you, Tim, but I think I should find myself somewhere else to stay.’’ She suddenly stood up ready to leave, when Patrick grabbed by her hand. There was no way he was letting her leave. Especially at this time of the evening.

‘’Come here...’’ he pulled her down to sit on his lap, ‘’...our place is far from perfect, but you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want.’’

‘’Patrick...’’ he truly wanted her to stay, they both did, Shelagh thought to herself when she saw the way two pairs of eyes were staring at her. But how was this going to work?

‘’Just say yes, Shelagh.’’ Patrick squeezed her hip, hoping, if not praying she would.

‘’Yes! Just say yes!’’ Tim got excited all over again. The thought of having Shelagh there in the morning was almost too good to be true! He really liked her! And no matter if he was only 10, he could see his dad felt the same way.

‘’Look, we don’t have a spare room, but you can have mine.’’ Patrick chuckled when she still did not give them an answer.

‘’Patrick!’’ she gasped, as a thousand inappropriate thoughts went through her mind.

‘’I’ll sleep on the couch.’’ He quickly explained himself and it was his time to blush. By the look she was giving him, Patrick knew she thought of something he had been day dreaming about for the last few days.

‘’I can't let you do that! You'd not get a wink of sleep. Your feet would be hanging right over the end!’’ Shelagh looked over to the small yellow couch in the corner of the room. She could easily fit on it, but not him.

‘’Is that a yes, then?’’ Patrick’s face broke into the biggest grin.

‘’It is, but I'm taking the couc-…’’ she couldn’t finish her sentence as both Turner’s boy erupted in a big scream of joy.

‘’That’s my girl!’’ Patrick kissed her cheek, not giving a damn Tim was there to see ‘’Come on, Tim, let’s get her a fresh duvet and a pillow.’’

‘’I’ll get it!’’ Tim ran upstairs all by himself, once again leaving them alone.

‘’Are you sure about this?’’

‘’Shelagh…’’ Patrick took a deep breath, his hand gently rubbing her arm up and down. For some reason she was still unsure about all of this. He hated the fact she didn’t want to take his bed, but he was too smart to argue about it, at least tonight ‘’…believe me when I say, this is almost perfect.’’

‘’Almost?’’ Shelagh frowned her eyebrows, not understanding what he meant.

‘’I know it might be too soon for me to say, and I do apologize in advance, but I can’t wait to wake up with you by my side.’’ He honestly explained, surprising even himself not only her. But it was the truth. They had been on one date, shared a few kisses but it simply felt right. She made him feel complete and a part of him already knew that someday he was going to marry her.

‘’You’re adorable.’’ She cupped his face and placed a soft, slow kiss on his smiling lips, which he freely accepted. He might have even deepened it, if Tim hadn’t come running into the room, his hands filled with all sorts of blankets, making him barely able to see where he was stepping.

‘’Here, let me help you.’’ Shelagh left Patrick’s warm embrace to help Tim out. She might have said she was going to spend only one night with them, but deep down she already knew it, it wasn’t going to be that easy.


	19. Chapter 19

It was something over five in the morning when a loud bang woke Patrick up. Still half asleep, he made his way downstairs into the kitchen to check what was going on, and almost had a heart attack when he saw her.

Shelagh was standing on her tiptoes, trying to reach for a mug on the highest shelf in the cupboard. But while doing so, her blue nighty hitched higher and higher, exposing her strong milky tights to him. She was far from tall, but my god! He could not help but run his eyes all over the length of her gorgeous legs.

‘’Can I help you?’’ he forced himself to ask when he caught himself staring and made her jump in surprise.

‘’Oh, god! Patrick! You’ve scared me!’’ Shelagh turned around, her hand flying onto her chest as she tried to calm herself down.

‘’I’m sorry.’’ he was by her side in the next moment, ‘’What exactly are you doing?’’ he reached over her head, took the mug she wanted and placed it on the counter behind her.

‘’I-I just wanted to make myself some cocoa.’’ She replied, as his body brushed against hers. Was it even possible for him to look bad? He was wearing a ridicules white and blue striped pajama but his stupid floppy hair made him look so adorable.

‘’Are you cold?” he wordily asked when he saw her exposed skin was covered in goosebumps. He was sure he had turned the heat up before going to bed.

‘’Yes, no,...I mean, maybe.’’ Was all she was able to say.

‘’Here.’’ He started to unbutton his shirt and before Shelagh could stop him, he took it off and placed it over her shoulder. ‘’Better?’’ he grinned at her, lowering his hands on the collar of the shirt and pulled it together, so he could run his right thumb over her jaw.

‘’No.” Shelagh playfully replied no matter it felt unbelievably good to feel the heat of his PJ’s on her skin. And it smelt of him!

‘’Oh, really?!’’ He chuckled, his hands suddenly making its way down her body, over her waist and hips, gently brushing her exposed tights before he made her gasped as he pulled her up onto the counter.

‘’How about now?” he smirked and made himself comfortable standing between her legs, his arms already locked around her body, pushing her closer into him.

‘’M-m.’’ She shook her head, but by the way, she was biting her lower lips, Patrick knew she was lying. She was such a tease when she wanted to be.

Locking her hands around his neck, Shelagh simply waited for him to make the next move. She could not trust her own judgment, to make it herself. Plus, she had no experience in all of this whatsoever. All she had known were a few make out sessions with two boys who had quickly gotten tired of her when they had found out she wanted to take things slow. And by the way Patrick was looking at her, she knew they would need to have a little conversation very soon.

‘’And now?’’ he leaned down and placed a slow kiss just below her left ear, instantly making her lift her head slightly up to give him some more access. As she kept quiet, Patrick’s lips continued its journey down her neck onto the collarbone, kissing, licking and gently biting every inch of her soft skin.

Shelagh could feel his rough stubble against her delicate skin but it didn’t matter. Not when his gentle soft lips were making her feel this way. Without even knowing she locked her legs around his waist, pulling him closer into her body. It felt good, too good really.

‘’Patrick…’’ she softly moaned when he placed the first kiss just above the valley of her breasts, “…Patrick…’’

‘’Mmm?’’

‘’Oh, god…’’ she gasped when she felt one of his arms going around her waist and the other one making its way under the hem of her nighty. He was everywhere, making her feel everything at once. And what was even worse, she didn’t want him to stop. Not now, not ever. But she had to.

‘’Pa-Patrick, we need to s-stop…’’ she forced herself to say but he didn’t hear her, he was too busy kissing her. So, she did the only thing she could think of. She cupped his face and pulled him up to look at her.

‘’W-What?’’ he asked out of breath, searching for a sign that he did something wrong, but couldn’t find one.

‘’Stop. We need to stop.’’ Shelagh exhaled, not losing the grip of her legs around him. She needed him to know he didn’t do anything wrong, they were just moving a little too quick for her liking. And he understood.

‘’I know.’’ She was right. They needed to stop or they would reach a point of no return. He might have screwed up their first date but he could never in a million years allow himself to let their first time happen with her sitting on a kitchen counter while snogging their brains out like two hormonal teenagers. She deserved so much more than this!

‘’Still cold?’’ his question made her laugh aloud; she was far from cold. Her whole body was on fire. ‘’Ssshhhh.’’ He tried to silence her but it didn’t work. Not until he kissed her. And no matter she knew she shouldn’t, she deepened it, starting the whole thing all over again.

‘’Yeah, we definitely need to stop.’’ Patrick whispered against her cheek, when they finally broke apart.

‘’No.’’

‘’No?’’ Patrick leaned back so he could look at her. She looked so beautiful. Her cheeks blushed, trying to catch a breath.

‘’I mean yes.’’ Shelagh giggled as she realized what she said, ‘’No is for the no, I’m not feeling cold anymore.’’

‘’Good. That’s good.’’ He pecked the side on her mouth, ‘’How about your back?’’

‘’What about my back?’’

‘’Just admit it, it’s sore because of sleeping on the couch.’’ No matter what, he was still a doctor. He noticed the way she was slouching.

‘’No, it’s not.’’

‘’Shelagh, I’ve fallen asleep on that damn thing a million times.’’

‘’Maybe you’ve had, but you have to remember your back is much older than mine,’’ she teased.

‘’Nurse Mannion, is that the way you speak to all your patients?’’

‘’I’m just kidding.’’ She giggled and ran her fingers through his dark hair. It felt so good to be held by him. His ability to make her feel so at ease with a single touch or look. Whatever they were doing, it was special. And it had the potential to get even more so.

‘’Does it bother you?’’ He almost whispered after a few moments of silence.

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’You know…’’ he had forced himself to look her in the eyes, ‘’…me being older than you.’’

‘’Oh, Patrick…’’ she cupped his cheeks, realizing how the whole thing must have sounded to him, ‘’…no.’’

‘’Are you sure? Because I would not blame you, you know. ’’

‘’Listen to me…’’ she looked him directly into his eyes, ‘’…I don’t care how old you are.’’

‘’It’s not just about me being older; I’m a widower with a kid and…’’

‘’Patrick…’’ she silenced him by placing her finger over his lips, ‘’…it’s not your fault your wife died.’’ She said it as gently as possible. ‘’And that kid of yours, he’s smart and funny and simply wonderful. You should be proud of him…and yourself. I know what it’s like to grow up without a mum. If my dad would be half the father you are being to Tim, I’d be lucky.’’

‘’Shelagh…’’ she had never mentioned to him she had grown up without a mother.

‘’So, my answer to your question is no, I’m not bothered by the fact you are older than me. I’ve dated men my age and let me tell you, it sucked.’’ She said as honestly it was possible. It was important for her to know he believed her, because it was the truth. She didn’t care! He made her feel safe and special and not afraid of the things that she had been afraid only a month ago.

‘’Thank you.’’ Was all he was able to say. The honesty in her voice had almost made him cry. He was so relieved to know she really wasn’t bothered with the age gap between them; because like it or not, she would be always 13 years younger than him no matter what.

‘’Come on.’’ Shelagh pushed on his shoulder, so she could finally step down from the counter. ‘’Let’s have some cocoa.’’


	20. Chapter 20

It had taken countless hours and kisses for Patrick to finally convince Shelagh to stop looking for another place to stay and simply enjoy all the advantages that came with staying in the Turner household. But taking his bed instead of the couch had been something completely different. 

‘’Stop being so stubborn.’’ Patrick playfully said as they walked into the flat at the end of the long work day. 

‘’I’m not being stubborn…’’ Shelagh giggled as she took off her shoes ‘’…I just think it wouldn’t be right for me to kick you out of your own bed.’’ No matter her back was killing her because of sleeping on that damn uncomfortable yellow thing three nights in a row, Shelagh could not give in. Plus, Mr McGann had promised Trixie’s flat would be ready to move into again in less than a week, so there was no point in getting too comfortable.

‘’Shelagh…’’

‘’Patrick…’’ she faced him and placed a palm on his chest in hopes he would stop ‘’…I just can’t, alright?’’

‘’But, why not? I’ve told you, I’m more than happy to…’’

‘’I know you are, but…’’ 

‘’What?’’ 

‘’OK, look...” she gave in as she saw he wasn’t about to quit nagging ‘’…the reason I can’t take your bed is...oh, god…’’

‘’Shelagh, you know, you can tell me anything, right?’’ he covered her hand with his. He had no clue why she simply couldn’t say yes. It wasn’t a big deal after all, it was only a bed. 

‘’I do, but…’’

‘’Just tell me.’’

‘’I can’t take it, because if I do, I don’t know if I will be able to leave, alright?’’ she finally spat it out, too embarrassed to look him into his eyes.

‘’You can’t except me to sleep there, having the smell of your stupid aftershave all around me, imaging how your body would feel wrapped around mine through the whole night, your nagging face buried into my neck, your arms holding me close…’’ she kept listing things, all until his lips covered her mouth, silencing her for a moment. 

‘’See?’’ she whispered when they broke apart ‘’This is what I’m talking about. This is the exact reason I can’t…’’ she started to say, her face blushed, her lips reddened.

‘’Maybe this is the exact reason you need to take it.’’ He took a step forward,, trapping her between the cold wall and his warm body.

‘’Patrick…’’ she purred as his closeness made her knees buckle. She loved when he was like this with her, still playful and full of energy after a long and hard day in a hospital.

‘’Yes?’’ He placed a kiss on her forehead and her cheek waiting for her response, which never came. Not until he brushed his nose against hers and made her softly inhale in attempts to calm her body down. It was too much and too little at the same time.

‘’Tim will be home any minute now.’’ She tried to reason with him as she felt his lips continue their path down her neck and up again towards her ear, placing small butterfly kisses along the way.

‘’I don’t care.’’ He sweetly responded. Hearing her say all those things really made his heart sing. She really liked being here. In his home. With him. With Timothy.

‘’You are a very bad man, you know that, right?’’ she suddenly found the courage and decided to fight fire with fire. Without even thinking she started to unbutton his waistcoat, catching him totally unprepared.

Surprised, Patrick looked down at her gentle fingers so quickly you could hear a small snap in his neck. And here he was thinking he was the one running the show. 

As Shelagh continued unbuttoning button after button they both kept completely quiet. She wanted to see if she was able to do it without getting scared, and he? He was simply too mesmerized by the sudden change of energy between them, to do anything. 

‘’Shelagh...?’’ he exhaled when his waistcoat was finally unbuttoned and he could feel her starting to untuck his white shirt from his pants. He had no idea what she was up to, but he knew, whatever this was it was getting more and more dangerous. 

‘’Mhm?’’ she had to do her best no to giggle as she looked up and saw it was his time to blush. With Tim coming back from his piano practice anytime now she knew nothing more could happen between them but teasing. But it was nice to know she could make him go weak with a simple touch as he could make her.

‘’Tim will be home any minute now.’’ Patrick tried to stop her actions with her own words. He was just seconds away from taking her into his arms and carrying her upstairs, not giving a damn she didn’t want to take his bed. 

‘’Is he?’’ she whispered against his lips, her hands making their way around his waist to untuck the shirt at his back.

‘’Shelagh, don’t...’’ he pleaded as he felt her firm breast pressed against his chest while one of her hands slipped to his belt buckle. He needed to stop her! His boxers started to feel tighter and tighter with each passing second and the last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself in front of her.

‘’Wha-...?’’ she was about to ask when the front door flew open.

‘’I’m home!’’ Tim announced himself, making Patrick jump away from Shelagh’s touch. That little minx.

‘’Hello, Timothy.’’ Shelagh stepped towards the boy as if nothing had happened between herself and the boy’s father just a few moments ago. ‘’How was your day? Hungry?’’

‘’It was good! And yes!’’ Tim replied, removing his school jacket. ‘’Dad, are you alright?!’’ he asked when he walked past them and saw how flushed his father’s face was.

‘’Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, thank you.’’ Patrick managed to blabber, not taking his gaze off of Shelagh.

‘’Come on, Tim.’’ She finally took mercy on him. ‘’Let’s see what’s in the fridge and let your dad have a  _ cold _ shower before dinner.’’ She bit her inner cheek so she couldn’t laugh, she saw his pupils dilate as he finally realized she was aware about his little problem. 

‘’Yes, thank you. I’ll be right back.’’ Patrick quickly replied and almost ran upstairs. The last thing he heard as he closed the bathroom door behind him was his son’s voice, asking if their water heater had broken down.


	21. Chapter 21

Patrick had no idea what his son was saying during the dinner. He was too busy looking at Shelagh, trying to figure out what exactly had happened between them less than an hour ago. No matter she had surprised him with her boldness, he could sense there was something big preventing her from doing more. It didn’t bother him they were taking things slow, there was so much they had to learn about themselves as a couple, but a small voice in his head was starting to question a lot of things. Especially what was going on in Shelagh’s head every time they touched or kissed.

‘’Dad? Daaad?’’ Timothy nudged him when he didn’t get any response from him.

‘’Yes?’’ Patrick finally snapped out of it and looked at the boy.

‘’It’s your turn.’’

‘’My turn?’’ he raised his eyebrows with no idea what Tim was talking about. ‘’My turn to do what?’’

‘’The dishes.’’ Tim rolled his eyes, stood up and ran upstairs to have a quick bath before his dad could protest. He always tried to trick him into doing it himself, but Tim knew he wouldn’t nag him with Shelagh around.

‘’Patrick, is everything alright?’’ Shelagh asked as he stood up and started to collect the plates from the table.

‘’What? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.’’ He gave her a smile, but Shelagh was no fool. Something was up. He’s been acting weird ever since he had come downstairs after his shower. Maybe running her hands all over him in the middle of the hall had been a step too far after all. Especially as Tim had literally walked in on them.

‘’Here, let me help you.’’ She offered, but he quickly stopped her, saying she should check on Tim. His son was ever so organized, but not when it came to not leaving the bathroom looking like a Titanic had sunk all over again, after only having a simple bath.

‘’Oh, alright.’’ Shelagh passed him a glass she was holding, not really sure how she should react. She could see something was bothering him. What, she had no idea, but at the same time, she somehow understood he needed some time alone. ‘’I’ll be right back.” She gave him a peck on his cheek and left.

**xXx**

With freshly bathed Tim safely tucked in bed, Shelagh decided to have a quick shower herself before heading downstairs again. As Tim had used almost all of the hot water it was a literally a quick one, but it didn’t bother her.

Stepping out, she dried herself up and was about to reach for her PJ’s, which she thought she had left hanging on the door, but couldn't find it. She suddenly remembered she had put them in the washing machine, as Patrick had said, he was going to do the laundry before going to work earlier that morning. Apparently, he had forgotten all about it, as she found the dirty clothes still in the machine.

‘’Oh, Patrick.’’ She smiled to herself and pressed the start button. He really worked too hard, poor lad.

With nothing fresh to put on, except a pair of panties she had left in a little drawer Patrick had cleaned out for her, Shelagh started to think how in the world was she going to get downstairs and get her bag without almost nothing on. She could use one of the towels, but after Tim’s big bath battle there wasn’t a single one that had stayed dry.

Good God! With Patrick acting all weird and a 10-year-old sleeping in the next room, surely, she could not just walk around the flat half-naked!

As she had almost decided to stay there and wait for a miracle to happen, she noticed his own PJ’s freshly folded on the laundry basket. They were the ones he had wrapped around her a few nights ago, when he had found her in his kitchen making cocoa. No matter they were old and funny looking, Shelagh reached for them without hesitation.

‘’Oh, crap.’’ She cursed under her breath when she discovered only the top part was there. But it was better than nothing.

Pulling on first her panties and then the white and blue striped top, she could see the shirt was big enough to cover the tops of her legs. She could work with this, she thought to herself as she checked herself in the mirror. She looked rather cute in it to be completely honest and no matter it was fresh it still smelled of Patrick, which was only a bonus. Maybe he would still let her sleep in it, she thought and caught herself smiling. Get yourself together, Shelagh! It’s only a shirt!

Buttoning it up, she finished drying her hair, cleaned up after herself and finally made her way downstairs.

The only light still on, was in the kitchen and by the clatter filling her ears, it appeared Patrick was still doing dishes. She had no idea what took him so long, there were only a few plates to wash. As she stepped into the room and rested herself against the doorframe, she could see he was still standing by the sink with his sleeves rolled up. He was silently staring into the plate he kept washing, over and over again.

‘’Patrick?’’ she softly called his name and saw him straighten himself up immediately. ‘’Are you alright?’’

‘’Yeah, I’m fine, I jus-…’’ he wanted to say but stopped in mid-sentence when he turned around and saw her standing by the door. She was barefoot, wearing his stupid PJ’s which revealed most part of her milky legs. Good god, she was gorgeous!

‘’Alright, that’s it!’’ he tossed a dirty plate back into the sink and walked toward her. He knew he had no right, but seeing her like that was simply too much!

‘’Patrick? Wha-…?’’ Shelagh looked at him with no idea what was going on. Surely, he could not be upset about her taking his clothes.

‘’Come here!’’ without giving her an explanation, he picked her up and flung her over his left shoulder.

‘’Pat-Patrick, what are you doing!? Put me down!?’’ she giggled when he started walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs. ‘’Patrick!’’ she giggled even more and playfully slapped his bottom.

‘’Oy!’’ Patrick responded but continued walking upstairs with no intention of letting go of her. Walking past Timothy’s room, they both did their best to keep quiet, no matter how hard it was. Before Shelagh knew, Patrick turned to his left and walked directly into his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he finally put her down on his bed and hovered over her.

‘’Patrick!’’ Shelagh gasped when her back hit the heavenly soft mattress and his hard form covered her front ‘’What’s this about?’’

‘’You’re so beautiful.’’ He simply grinned as he removed a lock of her golden hair from her face with his finger.

‘’Patrick…’’

‘’But you are. Inside and out.’’ He added looking directly into her eyes. He was falling for her so fast and hard he could almost feel his soul ache. ‘’Especially wearing this.’’ He ran his eyes down her body and up again.

‘’Oh, shut up!’’ she slapped his shoulder and burst into laughter. She finally understood what was going through his mind. This was about him getting frustrated about the way she was looking in his clothes. 

‘’What? It’s true!’’ he joined her but waited for their laughter to calm down before saying ‘’Please stay.’’

‘’I…’’

‘’Look,…’’ he propped himself up on his left forearm and rested his right hand on her waist, lightly squeezing it ‘’…I know you’ve said you can’t take my bed but please, just say yes. It’s driving me crazy to know you are spending your nights on that old yellow thing, while I have all of this space for myself. I can sleep on the floor if you don’t want me sleeping next to you.’’

Damn him! Shelagh thought to herself. No matter she knew it wasn’t a good idea, every fibre in her body was screaming yes! She had to admit that laying under him like this felt right. She felt safe and wanted and she simply trusted him as she has never trusted another human being in her life, especially male. ‘’Alright.’’ She finally agreed and the look on his face told her she made the right decision.

‘’Oh, thank god!’’ Patrick let out a breath he had no idea he was holding in and kissed her in the next moment. It was meant just as a quick celebration kiss, but as always, it could never be just a kiss between them. They simply could not stop themselves no matter how hard they’ve tried.

Before they knew it, Shelagh’s arms were wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer, while his right leg found its way between her own. If only she knew how good she tasted and felt under his fingertips, Patrick thought to himself as his fingers dug into her thigh encouraging her to place her leg over his hip, so they were suddenly tangled in each other's bodies.

Leaving her lips, he continued his path down her neck and onto her collarbone. Licking and kissing every inch of her delicate skin. A simple kiss turned into hot snogging and before Shelagh realized, Patrick started to unbutton the top of her shirt while his lips were still glued to her neck, ever so gently sucking on her skin.

With one button undone and then another and another, Shelagh knew she had to stop them. It wasn’t about not wanting him; it was simply about the fact she needed to tell him. He deserved to know why when every time things got a little too hot, she had stopped them. With no idea how to do this and with Patrick’s lips moving dangerously low, she took a deep breath and blabbered ‘’I’m a virgin.’’


	22. Chapter 22

The moment the V-word left Shelagh’s mouth Patrick froze in place. ‘’W-What?’’ he whispered against her exposed skin, wanting to make sure he heard her right.

‘’I-I’m a virgin.’’ Shelagh repeated with the last shred of confidence she had in herself.

She had thought about what his reaction would be many times, but complete silence hadn’t been one of them. He just kept quiet, not moving, not nothing. To be completely honest, he started to make her even more nervous.

‘’Patri-...’’ she finally found the courage to open her mouth, when he suddenly rolled away from her and jumped to his feet.

That’s it, Shelagh thought to herself when she saw how pale his face had gotten. It was the beginning of the end. Like the last two men she had dated, it appeared Patrick’s reaction to her virginity was going to be the same. Shock, followed by mockery and pity.

‘’Oh, god; oh, god; oh, god.’’ Patrick ran his fingers through his hair and started pacing up and down the bedroom.

‘’Patrick, I-...’’ she could feel a set of fresh, hot tears starting to gather up in her eyes. How could she be this stupid and think this time was going to be any different? All men were alike!

Feeling mortified, Shelagh decided to get up from the bed and frankly, get out of his sight. She could not stand being in the same room with him right now.

Hearing the bed cracking behind his back, Patrick finally turned around. ‘’What are you doing?’’

‘I’m leaving...’’ she forced herself to say, her voice on the break of cracking.

‘’What? No, no, no.’’ He almost threw himself down on his knees in front of her, preventing her from getting up. He was such an idiot!, he thought to himself and took her hand in his. ‘’Don’t go.’’

‘’But...’’ Shelagh had to admit she was a little bit confused. There was no pity in his eyes, he was...well, frankly he looked worried.

‘’I’m so sorry! So, so sorry!’’ he started to apologize like a maniac. “I would never...you know...not if I knew that...oh, god, I’m so sorry!’’ he kept blabbering. ‘’I just, you’ve said you’ve had boyfriends and...I’m not saying it’s your fault!’’ he was getting more and more worked up. ‘’It isn’t! I just assumed and I shouldn’t! I should just...oh, god! The things I’ve said to you! The things I’ve done to you!!!’’

Seeing he was at the verge of a panic attack, Shelagh cupped his face ‘’Patrick, look at me!’’

‘’Shelagh...’’

‘’Look at me!!’’ she raised her voice at him and it worked. He stopped talking for a moment and looked her directly into her eyes.

‘’Just breathe, alright? That’s it. In and out, in and out...’’ She kept her gaze on his eyes and breathed with him. It took him a while, but gradually his breathing returned to normal.

‘’Better?’’

‘’Better.’’ Patrick nodded. He noticed he was still kneeling before her with her legs resting on each side of his body. He had no idea when she opened them for him to cuddle into her, but he was glad she did, it made him feel safe being so close to her. ‘’Thank you.’’ 

‘’You’re welcome.’’ She smiled as she saw he was getting some colour back into his cheeks.

‘’I’m sorry...’’ he tried again.

‘’Patrick, what are you apologizing for?’’

‘’For everything. For forcing you into...’’

‘’What!?’’ She cut him mid-sentence,‘’Forcing me?’’ what in the world was he going about?

‘’I didn’t know, truly.’’ It finally made sense to him. She had never been with anyone! That was the reason for always stopping them from doing anything more. ‘’I would never push you into doing anything you weren’t ready for and I...’’

‘’Alright,...’’ Shelagh once again took the matter into her hands when she saw he was starting to blabber again. ‘’...I don’t know what’s going through your head right now, but let me tell you...you have never, not once, forced me into doing anything I wasn’t comfortable with doing, alright? Never!’’

‘’Are you sure? Because I would never...’’

‘’I know.’’ She smiled at him ‘’Patrick...’’ he was the sweetest thing ever, she thought to herself. She felt rather bad for thinking he was going to mock her about the fact she had never been with somebody, but no. The reason for his panic attack was simply the fear of him thinking he had been forcing her into doing anything intimate she didn’t want to do. But that was furthest from the truth ‘’...you’ve done nothing wrong.’’

‘’Are you certain?’’

‘’I am completely certain.’’ She nodded her head, glad he was starting to believe her.

Wanting to make sure they were on the same page, she pulled him closer, brushed her nose against his, looked him into his eyes and placed a slow, gentle kiss onto his lips.

She could feel him flinch at the beginning, but as she took his hand and placed it onto her waist, he slowly started to melt into her touch. How could he ever think he was forcing her into anything? Not when his lips moved so perfectly against hers, his touch making her feel she was cherished and loved. He was a gentleman, through and through.

‘’I’m such an idiot.’’ He whispered against her lips when they broke apart.

‘’No, you’re not.’’ Shelagh ran her thumb along his lower lip, ‘’I should have told you. I should have...’’

‘’No, Shelagh.’’ He shook his head, ‘’I’m not going to lie and say I’m not just a little bit curious why you’ve never been with anyone, I mean look at you!’’ he chuckled and felt so much lighter when she smiled back at him. ‘’But it’s your body, your decision.’’

‘’Come here.’’ She encouraged him to stand up and lay on the bed with her. Nestling into the crook of his neck she made herself comfortable and started talking. ‘’It’s not that big of a deal, really. I'm not a prude, I've done some things with men. I’ve just never you know...’’ She could feel his palm resting on her hip, and it meant the world for her to know he was not about to push her away, like the last two boyfriends had had.

''Why not?'' he almost whispered, he didn't want her to think he was pushing her into anything she wasn't ready to share.

''Because I want my first time to be with someone who respects me, someone who understands why I've waited for so long.'' She simply explained. ''Plus, the fact I was brought up by nuns and wanted to become one until I was 15, has to do with the way I think about sex.’’ She dropped another bomb.

‘’What?’’

‘’Yeah...’’ Shelagh could not but giggle into his neck. Pour soul, he was about to learn so much about her in one evening. ‘’After my mum passed away, I...’’ it was still hard to talk about her mother after all these years, but she wanted him to know her story, it was time. '’She was a midwife; amazing woman, perfect mum.’’ Shelagh smiled at the memory ‘’She worked in a small hospital in Aberdeen, but then a request came through, asking for a nurse up in the Outer Hebrides and my father could never deny her anything. I was only 6 back then, but that four years we lived there, were the happiest years in my life.’’

‘’What happened?’’

‘’There was an accident. Someone drove into her car when she was returning from a late home delivery. There was nothing they could do.’’

‘’Shelagh...’’ Patrick gently moved away and placed a kiss on her forehead.

‘’My dad packed our bags the day after her funeral and moved us back to Aberdeen. He was never the same after she was gone. He just couldn’t cope without her and I think I reminded him of her every time he laid his eyes on me. So, he sent me to a boarding school, which was run by nuns.’’

It was a good thing Shelagh could not see his face, Patrick thought to himself when the first tear ran down his cheek. He himself knew the hurt of losing a spouse, but to think he would ever send Timothy away, was too much for him. That boy was the only reason he was still sane.

‘’It was hard, but the Sisters were good to me. They've made sure I was taken care of and were there for me when I needed them. They became my family and there really was no surprise when I voiced my wishes to join the order. Until my father found out.’’

‘’What did he do?’’

‘’He completely lost it, pulled me out of school, forbade me to do anything that was linked to religious life. He even prevented me from going to choir practice. He changed so much in those four years I was away, Patrick. He started to drink and I just…at the end I choose something I thought would make me feel whole again.’’

‘’Midwifery.’’

‘’I just desperately needed something to make me feel a part of something. Feeling that I belonged and matter-...’’

‘’Mattered.’’

‘’Yes.’’ He got it, he simply got it, Shelagh smiled. ‘’I often accompanied my mum on her rounds and I loved everything about it. The way she was with her patients, the look on her face at the end of the workday, the work.’’ No matter what she had been through, thinking about her mum always made her feel better.

‘’Do you regret it?’’

‘’No. Not for a minute. I’ve met so many people during my schooling. Trixie and the girls. Midwifery gave a new meaning in my life and I love it! I love what I do.’’

‘’What happened to you Dad?’’

‘’He died. Liver cancer.’’ She told him, ‘’I was just about to start a new job when he phoned, asking me for my help. I wanted to say no to him so badly, but I simply couldn’t. So, I’ve put my life on hold, flew to Aberdeen and took care of him for three years. After he was gone, Trixie called and told me there was opening in the hospital and here I am.’’ She concluded her story.

‘’Here you are.’’ Patrick leaned down and kissed her. ‘’Thanks for sharing.’’

‘’Thank you for listening and thank you for, you know…understanding.’’

‘’Look, I don’t care about all of that. The only reason I’ve freaked out is because I’ve thought, I’ve been pushing you into something you didn’t want to do.’’

‘’I know.’’ She calmed him down by placing a hand on his chest.

‘’Plus, I’m more than happy to…you know?’’ he playfully raised his eyebrows at her, desperately wanting to make her smile.

‘’Oh, are you, now?’’ Shelagh bit her inner cheek, trying not to laugh at him.

‘’Mhm…’’

‘’Well, let’s see how our first night will go, shall we.’’ She gave him another kiss and turned onto her side, her back pressing into his front.

‘’Good night, Shelagh.’’ He wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her further into his body. This whole conversation had started with him having a panic attack over a misunderstanding but had ended in the best possible way. With her in his arms.


	23. Chapter 23

It was still dark when Patrick suddenly opened his eyes. Not used in having someone sleeping next to him for so long, he was rather confused when he tried to move but couldn’t. And then he remembered. Shelagh.

Looking down, he could see she had somehow managed to turn around in her sleep, so her face was now buried into his neck with her whole body glued to his.

Her slow warm breathing was tickling his skin, but he did not dare to move. It was simply too perfect. She was perfect. Smart, beautiful, brave...and after everything she had told him about herself, Patrick could feel falling for her even harder.  
He never imagined he would be feeling this way again, not after Marianne. But Shelagh Mannion had swept into his life and had managed to turn everything upside down. In the best possible way, that is.

Before her, his mind had been occupied with stuff that didn’t really matter in life. Sure, he loved what he did for a living, but this, having her in his arms, feeling every inch of her body against his own was everything.

In need to make sure he wasn’t just dreaming, he gently rubbed his thumb up and down her hip. He simply needed to check this whole thing was real. And it was.

She was in his bed, wearing one of his old PJ’s, lightly snoring against his neck and looking absolutely adorable while doing so.  
Moving just slightly away from her, he could see she was still wearing her glasses, so he decided to remove them. But in doing so, she started to wake up.

‘’Patrick?’’ she mumbled, not knowing what was going on.

‘’It’s okay, I’m just taking your glasses off.’’ He explained as quietly as he was able.

‘’What’s the time?’’ with her glasses now out of her way, she was able to cuddle even further into him. He felt warm and inviting, and she could not help but move her hand from his waist onto his chest.

‘’Something after three.’’ he checked the alarm clock on the nightstand.

‘’Why are you still fully clothed?’’ she wondered, when she realized her nose brushed against the soft material of his tie.

‘’Well...’’ he chuckled ‘’...there wasn’t any time left for that.’’ He had to admit he was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable sleeping in his button up waistcoat and undone belt. But it was so worth it!

‘’Come on, take this off.’’ Shelagh propped herself up, suddenly feeling very much awake and started loosening up his tie. She hated leaving his warm embrace but he could not let him sleep this way.  
‘’Shelagh, it’s alright...’’ he wanted to stop her, but it was like she didn’t hear him.

‘’No, it’s not. You work too hard for getting your rest like this. Come on, I’ll help you.’’ Her fingers were already working on his waistcoat’s button before he could stop her.

Letting her undo his waistcoat, Patrick removed his tie before moving down to his trousers. Reaching for the first hook to unclip his suit trousers, his hands crashed with Shelagh’s.

‘’Oh, sorry.’’ She moved them away and he didn’t need to see her face to know she was blushing.

‘’It’s alright.’’ he chuckled and continued with what he was doing. How could she be so bold and at so shy at the same time, was a mystery to him.

‘’Where are you going?” she asked as he started to get up.

‘’To get some PJ’s?’’ the only thing he was wearing at this point was a white T-shirt and a pair of black boxers.

‘’Don’t be silly.’’ Shelagh chuckled and pulled on his arm, making him fall down next to her. As it was still dark she could not see him properly, but if he thought she was bothered by him sleeping half-naked next to her, he had another thing coming.

‘’You don’t have to get all worked up about the fact I’ve never slept with anybody, you know?’’ she said as he was making himself comfortable laying on his back.

‘’But, I...’’ with this new information, he didn’t quite know what was appropriate anymore. Was he allowed to touch her in a certain way without making her think he was pushing her for something more?

‘’Listen...’’ Shelagh cuddled next to him after he pulled the covers over them ‘’...you don’t need to second guess every single thing you do or want to do to me. If you want to kiss me, then kiss me. If you want to touch me, then touch me. I’m a big girl, I’ll let you know if I’ll think I’m not ready for something, alright?’’

‘’Alright.’’ He smiled at her, glad she understood what was going through his head.

‘’Good.’’ She looked up and placed a kiss on his lips. She could feel him relax under her touch and it didn’t take long before his tongue slipped between her lips, making her softly moaned at the contact.

For a second Patrick thought of pulling away, still not sure she was comfortable with any of this. But the way her body was half covering his, he pushed all the doubts to the back of his mind and ran his hand down the length of her back and onto her buttock.

If there was something the two of them were good at, it was how to make each other go completely crazy only with a few simple touches.

‘’May I...?’’ he asked for her permission between kisses.

‘’Mhm...’’ was everything she was able to reply. It felt incredible to finally feel more of him. His hard chest against her, the feeling of his hairy legs next to her clean shaved ones and his hands! Dear god, his hands!

Pushing the PJ’s material from his way, Patrick’s hand continued its path up her body. This time under her PJ’s. His fingers ran over her cotton panties, across her hip and paused on the bare skin of her waist. She felt soft and hot under his touch and all he had to do to reach her breast was to fully extend his fingers.

But he didn’t. Because in the next second a familiar voice forced them to stop with everything they were doing.

‘’Dad?’’

‘’Oh, god!’’ Shelagh jumped away from Patrick and started pulling the shirt over her exposed body parts.

‘’Tim? What’s the matter?!’’ thank god it was still dark, Patrick thought to himself as he saw his son standing at the door, staring directly at them.

‘’I threw up.’’ The boy simply announced and set both of the adults in action.

‘’Wait here.’’ Patrick was on his feet in the next moment, turned on the bedside lamp and walked past him, to go and check the mess his son had made in his bedroom.

‘’Ti-...’’ before Shelagh could even call him, Tim had already crawled into bed with her. It was like it was nothing special for him to find Shelagh sharing a bed with his dad. ‘’Are you okay?’’

‘’No.’’ Tim replied as he comfortably cuddled next to her.

‘’Come here.’’ She kissed the top of his head and made sure he was completely covered with a blanket.

‘’Can I stay here with you?’’ he mumbled into her shoulder with his eyes already half closed.

‘’Sure, honey.’’ She motherly ran her fingers through his hair. How was it possible for him to fill a part of her heart in such a short period? Him and his father both.

‘’Alright, I’ve manag-...’’ Patrick returned a few minutes later ‘’...oh!’’ he stopped in place when he saw two most important people in his life cuddled together. ‘’Is he...?’’

‘’He will be.’’ Shelagh cut him mid-sentence ‘’How bad was it?’’

‘’Not that bad.’’ He explained and sat on the bed to have a better look at his boy. He was a little pale but rather than that he looked alright. ‘’If I was the one cooking tonight, I’d say it was something he ate.’’ He tried to joke as he checked his pulse. It was strong and steady.

‘’Maybe it's just a bug.’’

‘’Yeah.’’ Patrick agreed, ‘’He should be feeling better in the morning, poor lad.’’ He leaned down, placed a kiss on Tim’s forehead and then gave Shelagh a quick peck.

‘’Nice legs, Doctor.’’ She teased when he stood up again.

‘’Shut up and good to bed, Miss Mannion!’’ Patrick laughed, well aware of his pale and hairy legs. They were nothing special, hers on the other hand were absolutely breath-taking.

‘’Not until you join us.’’ Shelagh stated. And he did. The three of them spent the rest of the night curled up with each other...all until Tim woke up again, something before seven in the morning and had to throw up again. At Patrick’s luck, he had managed to get to the bathroom first.


	24. Chapter 24

Unlocking the front door, Shelagh stepped into a warm quiet hall. Too quiet for only a few minutes after eight in the evening, really. Placing her little backpack by the door, she made her way further into the flat and entered the living room.

And there they were. Her two boys. The young one peacefully sleeping on the couch, with an empty bucket resting on the floor next to it; and the older one, lightly snoring in the armchair.

Shelagh just started at them for a few moments, glad she was finally back. She had spent her day in the hospital, while Patrick had taken a sick day to take care of Tim. No matter it had been a good day at work, she was more than happy to say goodbye to Trixie. Her friend had been fangirling about the fact Shelagh had spent the night in the old Doc’s bed. She hadn’t let up from the moment Shelagh had told her about everything that had happened between them that night.

Carefully, she walked to Patrick and kneeled down next to him, ‘’Patrick?” she whispered, not wanting to startle him. ‘’Patrick?’’ she tried again, this time placing her hand on his shoulder. And it did the trick.

“Wha-?’’ he opened his eyes, feeling a bit confused for a second, until he saw her face. ‘’Shelagh?’’

‘’Hi,” she gently said and smiled. He looked absolutely adorable, she thought to herself. His stupid hair all out of place, sticking up in all directions in the air. His five o’clock shadow making him look all scruffy and even more handsome, if that was even possible.

‘’What’s the time?’’ Patrick pulled himself in a better sitting position. He could feel his back pop as a result of sleeping in an uncomfortable position for who knows how long.

‘’Something past eight.’’ Shelagh replied, still keeping her voice down, not wanting to wake up Tim.

‘’Come here,’’ Patrick pulled her onto his lap.

‘’How was your day?’’ Shelagh wrapped one hand around his neck and rested the other one on his chest. He felt warm under her touch and she could not help but cuddle further into him. 

‘’Terrible,’’ Patrick chuckled, closing his eyes again. Inhaling, he could detect the scent of her perfume mixed with the soap from the hospital showers. She must have taken one before leaving. ‘’You smell nice.’’

‘’What?’’ Shelagh softly giggled with no idea what he meant. But he didn’t reply. Not vocally, that is. Tightening his grip on her thigh, he buried his face into her neck and placed a soft kiss on her skin.

‘’I’ve missed you,” he simply said. And it was the truth. Tim had been puking all day, stopping only a few hours ago, when he had finally fallen asleep from all the fatigue of the day.

‘’I’ve missed you too.’’ She kissed his forehead. ‘’Both of you.’’

‘’Mhm,” Patrick mumbled. He was so tired. He could not believe he could survive 12+ hour shifts without any problem. But one day of taking care of his own child vomiting all over the place, made him feel as if he had been doing manual labour for weeks.

‘’How is he?’’

‘’He’ll be fine.’’ Patrick forced himself to open his eyes and looked over Shelagh’s shoulder to check on his son, who was thankfully still peacefully sleeping. Poor lad. ‘’He had a hard day, but he should be fine.’’

‘’How about you, hmm?’’ Shelagh cupped his cheek and made him look at her.

‘’Tired,” he simply answered. ‘’But glad you are home.’’  _ Home _ . He knew her staying with them was slowly coming to the end, but he could not deny it felt right sharing a home with her. Seeing her face on the other side of the breakfast table every morning, doing the dishes together, bickering over a TV remote control in the evenings. Even her forcing him to help her in the kitchen making dinner, so he could finally learn how to cook something edible for a change. Then finding a razor, she had forgotten to put away, on the little shelf in the shower. In less than a week, Shelagh had managed to turn his flat into a proper home, and he dreaded the moment she was going to leave. ‘’Hungry? I’ve made some chicken soup.’’

‘’Oh, really?’’

‘’OK, I’ve ordered some.’’ He admitted, well aware he wasn’t fooling anybody.

‘’I’m alright, thank you.’’ Shelagh chuckled and placed a kiss on his lips. It was a slow one, but neither of them minded. It had been a long day for the both of them and all they wanted was to go to bed and have a good night's sleep.

‘’Thank you,” Patrick said when they broke apart.

‘’For what?’’ she lightly chuckled, not knowing what he meant.

‘’For this. For being here. For being you.’’ He looked directly into her blue eyes.

Her thumb ran up and down his cheek a couple of times more, before simply replying, ‘’You’re welcome.’’

They stayed in the armchair, wrapped in each other’s hold a couple of minutes more, until Patrick’s snores filled Shelagh’s ears all over again. ‘’Come on, let’s get you to bed.’’

‘’No,’’ Patrick tried to protest, not wanting to let go of her. She was warm and soft, and he wanted to stay like this for ever.

‘’Don’t worry, Doctor Turner, I’m planning to spend another night in your bed.’’ Shelagh managed to stand up and offered him her hand. She knew what was on his mind, because she felt the same. It was hard imaging not spending another night in his arms. Not after last night’s intense cuddle. Putting Tim aside, of course.

‘’That’s my girl.’’ He took her hand in his and pulled himself up. “Oh, god,” he gasped when he felt his body aching all over. He really was too old for falling asleep in anything except his bed.

‘’Should we wake him up?’’ No matter Shelagh knew Tim would get a better sleep in his own bed, she felt bad waking him up. Especially after the day he had had.

‘’Here, let me take him.’’ Patrick let go of her hand and with one swift move took the boy in his arms. Luckily, Tim didn’t even flinch and kept on sleeping the whole way up the stairs. He might have stirred a bit, when Patrick laid him in his bed, but that was about it.

‘’Let me.’’ Shelagh offered to tuck him in, so Patrick could get ready for bed.

‘’Sure?’’

‘’Yeah.’’ She nodded and all that Patrick did was kiss her cheek. ‘’Don’t be long.’’ Was the last thing he said before he walked out of his son’s bedroom and directly into the bathroom down the hall.

Tucking him in, Shelagh brushed Tim’s hair out of his eyes and placed a kiss on his forehead. ‘’Good night, Timothy,” she added as she stood up and turned off the lamp on the nightstand.

‘’Night,  _ mum _ ,’’ a soft, muffled voice, forced her to look at him again. He was still sound asleep, but kept mumbling something as he turned on his left side, clutching to his old teddy bear while doing so.

_ Mum. _

Shelagh was sure he didn’t know what he was saying. After the day he had had, anyone would want their mum by their side to make them feel better. But nevertheless, it still stung to hear the word. The word that defined something Shelagh knew, she was never able to be.

Closing the door behind her, she waited her turn for the bathroom and after a quick wash, joined already half asleep Patrick in his bedroom.

‘’Here she is.’’ Patrick uncovered, as it was from now on known as her side of the bed and waited for her to make herself comfortable next to him. ‘’This is nice.’’ He mumbled into her hair.

‘’Mhm.’’ She agreed. And it was. It really was.

‘’Shelagh?’’ Patrick called her name after a few minutes of silence.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’I need to ask you something.’’

‘’Go on.’’

‘’Amm, as you knew, Tim’s birthday is coming up in two weeks and...’’

‘’What?’’ Shelagh looked up from his chest when she heard he was hesitating with whatever he wanted to say.

‘’...the thing is...I’ve wanted to make him feel better by asking him how he wanted to celebrate it and...’’ He had no idea what her reaction would be, but he had promised Tim he would ask her.

‘’And?’’

‘’Well, he, he...you don’t have to say yes, you know? It’s just, I’ve promised him...’’

‘’Patrick, just come out with it.’’ She nudged him in his ribs.

‘’He wants to go camping.’’ He finally spat out.

‘’Camping?’’

‘’Yes, camping. With me... and  _ you _ . With us. And maybe his friend Colin. But mainly with us.’’ Patrick continued, hoping he didn’t put her in an awkward position.

‘’Oh,...’’ Shelagh had to admit she was surprised. Not by the camping part, but by the fact Tim wanted her there with them.

‘’Look, you don’t have to say yes. I’ve already told him you might hate camping and even if you don’t, I know you have work and choir practice and...’’

‘’When?’’

‘’What?’’ he finally looked at her, surprised by her answer.

‘’When were you planning to go?’’ she simply asked.

‘’Next weekend.’’

‘’Alright.’’ Shelagh smiled when she saw the way he was staring at her.

‘’Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel you have to say yes, if you don’t want to go.’’

‘’If he wants me there, I’ll be more than happy to go. I love camping.’’

For a moment he just stared at her, not quite believing she was real. But she was. ‘’You’re amazing, you know.’’ He was so close in telling her how he truly felt about her. He had all the right words at the end of his tongue but had to stop himself from saying them.

‘’I try my best.’’ She chuckled. She wasn’t even lying. She loved camping. And to even think about the possibility of her sharing a tent with him, sent a warm tingle down her entire body.

‘’Thank you.’’ Patrick pulled her closer. She still wore his PJ’s instead of her own and feeling her bare legs next to his made him feel the luckiest man alive.

‘’You’re welcome.’’ She let him kiss her one more time, before finally falling asleep in his arms.


	25. Chapter 25

‘’Sleeping bag, torch, first aid kit,…’’ Shelagh was checking her camping gear for the last time, hoping she did not forget to pack anything important. Patrick should be picking her up from her place any minute now, and to be completely honest she could not wait to spend the whole weekend in the middle of nowhere with him. Coming from a small town herself, she found London’s quick and loud pace of lifestyle somehow tiring at times. 

‘’Didn’t you forget something?’’ Trixie’s voice came behind her back.

‘’No, no, I don’t think so.’’ Shelagh replied without looking at her friend, busy zipping up her backpack.

‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’I think so. Please, don’t tell me I’ve left something on the table…’’ There was no chance in hell she was unzipping her backpack and going through it all over again ‘’…Trixie!’’ Shelagh gasped as she finally turned around and saw her friend leaning on her bedroom’s door frame, a pack of condoms in her hand.

‘’What?’’ Trixie played coy ‘’I just want you to be prepared…and safe.’’ Ever since Shelagh had told her what she and Patrick had been up to while staying at his place, Trixie felt called to be there for her friend. She knew how much her virginity meant to Shelagh and if there was even a slight possibility that Patrick was the one, Trixie was all in.

‘’Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll be needing them.’’

‘’Why not? You never know.’’ Trixie walked in the bedroom and sat on a bed.

‘’Trixie, I’ve waited for the right man for 28 years, why do you think I’d want to lose my virginity in a tent?’’

‘’Because, you’ve waited for the right man for _28 years_?’’ Trixie giggled.

‘’Shut up!’’ Shelagh chuckled and threw a pillow in her friend’s direction. She knew Trixie was just teasing. They’d talked about the whole matter thousands of times. And no matter, Trixie didn’t really get why Shelagh was saving herself, she respected her decision.

‘’So, you think he might be the one, hmmm?’’

‘’He might.’’ Shelagh bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t thinking about it. Patrick Turner was so much different than any men she had ever dated, even known really. He was simply…better.

‘’Oh, god! I can’t believe it’s finally happening!’’ Trixie got excited and pulled her down next to her.

‘’Trixie!’’ Shelagh giggled. ‘’All I’m saying is that there is a chance of him-…’’

‘’Introducing you to pleasures of flesh?’’

‘’Oh, my god!’’ Shelagh rolled her eyes. She loved Trixie dearly, but sometimes she was simply too much to handle.

‘’Oh, I bet the old Doc has a few good moves up his sleeves.’’

‘’I think, I’m going to wait for them downstairs.’’ Shelagh started to stand up but Trixie quickly grab her arm, ‘’Oh, come on, Shelagh!’’ Trixie laughed ‘’I’m just joking.’’

‘’It’s a good thing I love you, you know?’’

‘’I know.’’ Trixie pulled her into a hug ‘’You do know, right?’’ she continued talking into Shelagh’s hair.

‘’What?’’

‘’What they say about men with big hands?’’ Trixie burst in another set of laughter.

‘’I hate you!’’ Shelagh stood up but could not help laughing herself. Trixie was right, Patrick’s hands were quite bi-… her track of thought were suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door buzzer. ‘’They are here.’’ Shelagh was about to walk out of the room to let them in, when she glared back at her friend, ‘’Put that away.’’

‘’Alright, alright.’’ Trixie gave in, but waited for Shelagh to disappear from her sight before stuffing the condoms into the side pocket of her backpack. ‘’Better safe than sorry.’’

**xXx**

‘’Timothy! Happy birthd-...?!’’

‘’Shelagh, please, pleaseee, help me!’’ was the only thing Tim said as he walked past her and into the flat.

‘’What? What’s going on? Are you alright?’’ Shelagh quickly asked, afraid something bad had happened.

‘’You have to talk him out of it, Shelagh! Please!’’ the boy continued hopelessly ‘’I can’t be seen in public with him like this! Believe me, people won’t smile at us! They won’t even want to socialize with us!! And what about Colin! I can’t let him…’’

‘’Tim, what are you talking about?’’ Shelagh placed her hands on his shoulders and made him look at her.

‘’I can take his stupid ties, but this? I can’t! Please, just say you’ll help me!’’

Shelagh was about to repeat her set of questions when Patrick’s jolly voice filled her ears. Turning around, she could finally understand what Tim was talking about.

‘’Oh, my god.’’ Trixie barely suppressed a giggle, while Tim kept staring at Shelagh with his begging eyes.

‘’Hello, love!’’ Patrick had the biggest smile on his face. It’s been ages since he had taken any time off, and no matter if camping wasn’t really his thing, he could not wait to spend the whole weekend with Shelagh! ‘’Hi, Trixie.’’

‘’Hel-hello.’’ Trixie really tried her best not to stare, but it was so hard not to.

‘’Ready?’’ Patrick walked to Shelagh, who was at this point still clueless about how she was going to make this right for Tim…and herself. Her human disaster of a man was wearing a lovely blue shade of a short sleeve shirt and khaki shorts, but the monstrosity below his knees was something she had not seen in a while. White socks with sandals. No wonder Tim was losing his mind!

‘’I-I…’’ Shelagh stuttered and tried not to laugh at the same time ‘’…almost.’’ She exhaled and turned to Trixie, who was at this point on the verge of losing it. ‘’Trixie, would you mind taking Tim to the kitchen, I’ve made us some sandwiches for the road.’’

‘’Sure. Come on, Master Turner.’’ Trixie bit her lip and almost pushed the boy into the kitchen, leaving her best friend to do the hard work.

‘’Patrick…’’ Shelagh started when they were alone, trying to think of the way to break Patrick’s fashion bubble in the gentlest way she was able.

‘’Is something wrong?’’ Patrick frowned his dark eyebrows with not a clue of what was going on.

‘’NO! No, no, no…I just…ammm…’’ Shelagh could not believe it. Yes, he had a set of really, REALLY ugly ties in his closet but he always looked absolutely dapper in his suits. To believe he had anything like this in his wardrobe was a little too much for her. ‘’Would you mind helping with something before we go?’’ she said at the end. No matter Trixie and Tim were out of their sight, she knew where they were eavesdropping, waiting to hear how Shelagh was going to handle the whole thing.

‘’Yeah, sure.’’ Patrick smiled and let her take his hand in hers, before she pulled him down the hall into her bedroom.

Closing the door behind them, Shelagh took a deep breathe ‘’Patrick…’’

‘’Yes?’’ he smirked, feeling all giddy to be standing in her bedroom for the very first time. It was neatly organized as she was and it smelt of her. Oh, god, how he missed her, since she had moved back to her place.

‘’I don’t really know how to say this without hurting your feelings, so I’m just going to come out with it.’’

‘’What are you talking about?’’ the poor soul was completely clueless.

‘’You do realize you have a teenage boy for a son, right?’’ she simply could not force herself to bluntly ask him to take those hideous things off his feet. Not when he was looking at her with those beautiful eyes.

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’And that he needs to have friends, _right_?’’

‘’Shelagh, what’s this all about?’’

‘’I need you to do something for me.’’

‘’What?’’

She didn’t answer him, she simply pointed her finger down on his legs and waited for the penny to drop.

‘’What?’’ Patrick looked down with no idea at what she was pointing. Until he did. ‘’Oh, come on! They are comfortable!’’

‘’No, Patrick, the word you are looking for is ugly and no matter how much I love you, I cannot let you go out in the world wearing these. Tim would never forgive me if I did and-…what?’’ she stopped talking when she saw the way he was looking at her. With his mouth hung open and a little spark in his eyes.

‘’You love me?’’ he simply asked, not quite believing he heard her right.

‘’What?’’ it was her turn to feel clueless about what they were discussing.

‘’You’ve said that the word I’m looking for is ugly and that no matter how much you love me...I don’t know what you said next.’’ He chuckled as he tried to wrap his head around the whole thing. She loved him! Shelagh Mannion loved him! Him!

‘’Amm… Patrick…’’ suddenly she didn’t know what to say. It was the truth but she didn’t plan to tell him, at least not like this! Not right now! It was too soon for any of this!

‘’No, no, it’s alright.’’ He quickly placed his hands on her arms, seeing she’d started to panic, seeing she wasn’t planning any of this. ‘’I love you, too.’’

‘’You do?’’

‘’God, yes!’’ his smile got even bigger. ‘’I mean, I know it might be too soon for us to say it, but Shelagh, the moment you walked into my life that evening, everything changed. Everything!’’ he dropped his hands from her arms onto her hips and lightly squeezed them. ‘’You’ve made my life, my son’s life, better and…’’ he took a deep breath. ‘’If you want to take it back, or even want me to take it back, you can. I won’t blame you if this, us, is scaring you, because to be honest I’m scared myself,” he admitted but quickly continued, afraid she might take this whole thing wrong. ‘’In all my life, I’ve only been in love once, and after Marianne died, I could not even imagine finding someone who would make me feel what I’m feeling right now. But here you are.’’

‘’Patrick…’’

‘’I love you.’’ He cupped her cheek with his left palm, ‘’I’m a better man when I’m with you and…’’ he didn’t get the chance to finish with what he wanted to say, because in the next moment Shelagh’s lips made him shut up and kiss her. And what a kiss it was!

Before he could even realize what was happening, Shelagh’s tongue slipped between his soft lips. It sought for his own and made him moan in pleasant surprise.

Slipping his hands around her, Patrick didn’t lose any time pulling her into his body. She felt warm and soft under his fingertips, but nothing could compare to her soft mouth, which was making him feel he was about to lose his control any moment now. Everything about this screamed of perfection. The way her breasts were pressed against his chest, the way her lower body uncontrollably grinded against his own. She was everywhere! It was too much and not enough at the same time!

If Patrick was losing his mind, Shelagh was on the verge of exploding! No one had ever spoken those words to her, not in that way, anyway. And she had never said them herself. But no matter he was right, because yes, she was scared; at the end of the day, he made her feel safe! And loved! And every single thing she had imagined love consisted of. Yes, he was wearing those stupid white socks with sandals but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, but the way he was making her feel.

‘’I love you, too.’’ She gasped when the need to breathe became too much for them. He needed to know she felt the same way he did.

‘’Good.’’ He rested his forehead on hers, trying his best to return his breathing to normal. It was finally out in the open and they could both feel a few pounds lighter. ‘’So, does that mean I can keep my…’’

‘’No.’’ Shelagh chuckled and shook her head. She loved the way he somehow always managed to lighten the mood when things became too intense. Because, no matter that they would love to stay like this - in her bedroom, making out like crazy, maybe even something more; they still had Timothy waiting for them in the kitchen.

‘’Alright. I have my hiking boots in the car. I’ll change.’’

‘’Thank you.’’

‘’Anything for you.’’ He gave a peck and forced himself to let go of her. How in the world was he going to survive the entire weekend with her by his side. Especially now, when he knew they were on the same page with their feelings. He loved his son, but something told him that Tim was going to spend the next few weekends with Granny Parker.


	26. Chapter 26

‘’I was wondering where you’ve disappeared to.’’ Shelagh’s voice made Patrick look over his shoulder. She had just gone to check on the boys, who were at this point already sound asleep in their little tent just a few feet away from theirs, tired from all the excitement from the day. When she had returned to the fire pit they had made, Patrick wasn’t there. As they had chosen a small camping site by a lake, it hadn’t taken long for Shelagh to find him. He was sitting on the end of a small pier, his bare legs freely dangling over the edge.

‘’Is everything alright?’’ she handed him the last bottle of beer she had taken from the cooler before joining him, and sat down next to him. 

‘’It is. Better than alright, really.’’ He gave her a smile and took a sip. It’s been a long day and no matter how tired he was feeling after the long drive, setting up the tents and taking a long walk around the lake, Patrick could not feel happier. She loved him! ‘’How are you?’’

‘’Fine. Tired, but fine.’’ She nudged closer to him and he didn’t lose any time before wrapping his left hand around her waist. 

‘’Thanks for coming with us.’’ He simply said and passed the bottle back to her ‘’It means the world to Tim…and me.’’

‘’You’re welcome.’’ She gave him a quick peck before resting her head on his shoulder. ‘’I just hope the weather will last.’’ They both looked up at the sky and could see a few dark clouds gathering above them. 

‘’We can always pack everything up and go the rather nice hotel I’ve spotted on our way here.’’

‘’Well, Dr Turner that would be called cheating!’’ Shelagh pretended to be appalled by his suggestion. She loved being outdoors! He on the other hand, not so much. ‘’I thought this whole thing was about us getting back to nature?’’

‘’I’ll pick some wildflowers and bring them with us,” he joked. Like Tim, he had adored camping when he was a little boy. Sleeping under the stars, making all of his meals over an open fire, listening to the unfamiliar sounds coming from the forest. He had loved everything about camping, until… ‘’Shelagh?’’

‘’Mmm?’’ Shelagh mumbled with her eyes already half-closed. It really was a long day, and running around with two 11 years old boys full of energy, had taken its toll on her. 

‘’Do you remember our first date?’’ he took the bottle from her and took another big sip. It was time for him to tell her. She deserved that much, especially after this morning. He loved her and no matter he had no idea what her reaction would be, she needed to know. 

‘’I do.’’ A lazy smile appeared on her face. It’d happened something over two months ago but she could still remember, even feel, how his lips had felt on hers for the very first time.

‘’Me telling you about wanting to be a trauma surgeon at first, but not the reason why that never happened.’’ 

‘’Does it have anything to do with you being in the medical corps?’’ she had thought about the whole thing many times over the last few months.

‘’It does.’’ Something in his voice told her that whatever he was going to say next, was big. And it was.

‘’We’re stationed in some village in the middle of nowhere, back in Iraq.’’ He slowly started to tell, focusing his gaze on a small leaf, floating on the water under their feet. ‘’We were supposed to be there just for a few days, helping the locals with their treatments and medical supplies, but…’’ 

‘’What happened?’’ she almost whispered, not daring to move. 

‘’The whole hell broke loose.’’ He sadly chuckled. No matter it had been a long time ago and he had worked really hard to be able to move on, it was still hard talking about it. 

‘’Patrick, you don’t need to...’’ she looked up, wanting to let him know he didn’t need to share if it was making him uncomfortable, but it was like he never heard her. 

‘’I don’t even know how it happened. All I know is that one minute I was talking to a local man and in the next moment, he was laying on my lap, covered in blood.’’ He simply said and as he turned to look at her, Shelagh could see his eyes filling with tears. What in the world happened to him? she wondered and without even thinking covered his hand with hers.

‘’I’m sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.’’ He quickly said, fearing he didn’t pick the right time or place to tell her all about his trauma. They were on their holidays, after all. 

‘’You didn’t.’’ she was far from bothered about the fact he finally felt comfortable enough to tell, whatever he had refused to share on their first date ‘’And you don’t need to tell me if…’’ 

‘’I want to.’’ He cut her off, hoping he wasn’t about to scare her away. By squeezing his hand, she quietly encouraged him to go on, and he did. 

‘’They slaughtered the whole village in a single hour. Every man, woman and child. And I still, till this day, don’t know why.’’ 

‘’Oh, god…’’ her voice broke. Whatever she was thinking he was going to tell her; this was far from it.

‘’I was the only one who’s survived.’’ He let the first tear slip down his cheek as he forced himself to say the words. ‘’They needed a doctor and…’’ he took another deep breath ‘’I was their hostage for 27 days before the British army got me out of there.’’ He could still feel the hard ground under his back as he had cried himself to sleep, the sound of gunshots in the middle of the night, the taste of muddy water and a piece of stale bread they had fed him for almost a month.

Without even thinking, Shelagh turned her whole body into his and hooked her hand around his neck, pulling him into a hug. With her head buried in his neck, she kissed the warm skin there, wishing she could take the pain away. ‘’Did they hurt you?’’ she forced herself to ask, while dreading his answer. 

‘’Not physically, but... I’ve seen and heard things that no man ever should.’’ He replied, feeling so relieved she was still there, not pushing or running away. 

‘’I’m sorry,” was the only thing Shelagh could think of saying and held onto him even stronger. At this point all she wanted was for him to know she was there for him. Wanting to make him feel safe in her arms. And loved!

‘’Thanks.’’ He gave her a weak smile as she finally looked up at him. Brushing the falling tear away with her thumb, he felt safe enough to close his eyes and continued. ‘’I had a minor breakdown when everything was over. I’ve seen so much death in such a short period of time and I just couldn’t cope with everything. And the guilt of being the only survivor…’’ he inhaled ‘’…it was eating me inside out for so long.’’

‘’Patrick…” there was this beautiful way she was able to say his name. Making him feel calmer and safe in a second.

‘’I started therapy as soon as it was possible. And the only thing I did for the first two weeks was cry,”he openly admitted. ‘’And after months and months of talking, my therapist asked me to do one thing.’’

‘’What was that?’’

‘’He asked me to choose life instead of death.’’ He smiled as he could see no pity in her eyes, just pure love.

‘’And you did.’’ She smiled at him, finally realizing why his work was so important to him. Why he had no trouble with going an extra mile for his patients.

‘’And I did. Literally.’’ He chuckled, ‘’I went back to medical school, changed my residency program and that was that. I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the right thing, to be honest. Not until I’ve delivered my first baby. A girl.’’ He could feel his entire body buzz only by remembering that day. It had made him feel alive for the very first time after everything that had happened to him. He had only felt like that twice in his life after that day. When Timothy had been born and the day he had met Shelagh. ‘’I don’t know what happened to me that day, but I knew that the only cry I ever wanted to hear from that day forward was a cry of a new-born.’’

‘’You are amazing, you know that right?’’ she could not help but to kiss him. This time on his lips. It was a slow one, mixed with the salty tears they had shed between them, but filled with so much love, Patrick almost could not take it.

As gently as she was able, Shelagh pushed him down, so he was now laying flat on the hard wooden surface of the pier, with her spread half on top of him. 

‘’I’m not sure about that, but being an OB-GYN saved me in so many ways. And I try to give it back as much as I can.’’ He added when they broke apart and made themselves comfortable against each other. 

‘’And you do. Believe me. I’ve heard the things your patients say about you, and to be completely honest, I feel quite jealous at times.’’ 

‘’No need.’’ He chuckled, not even bothered to ask what things. ‘’I only have eyes for you, my dear.’’

‘’I love you.’’ After everything, he just told her, the fear of saying the words out loud suddenly disappeared. 

‘’You have no idea.’’ Not wasting any time, he rolled her onto her back and before she knew it, his lips were on hers.

‘’Thank you for listening,’’ he said between kisses as his mouth made a hot and wet trail all the way from her mouth to her collarbone and back again. It was a good thing the camp was fairly empty and it was already dark due the dark clouds above them. Especially after he tucked his leg between hers, giving her something to press on.

‘’Thank you for telling me.’’ she managed to say with her eyes closed. The combination of his soft lips and a light summer breeze on her exposed skin was starting to make her feel quite dizzy. And who knew what might have happened next, if the first raindrops hadn’t made them jump on their feet and run to their tent the next moment.


	27. Chapter 27

‘’Come on, come on, come on!’’ Patrick half laughed, half screamed as he pulled Shelagh on her feet and started to run down the pier towards their tent, not letting go of her hand for a second. By the time they reached their destination, it was already pouring down so hard, they had trouble seeing where they were going.

‘’Get in!’’ Patrick unzipped the tent and let Shelagh get in first.

‘’Oh, my god!’’ she could not help but laugh as she fell face down on her sleeping pad, her hair a mess, her clothes soaked.

‘’Hell’s bells!’’ Patrick quickly followed and was able to zip up the tent without getting too much rain inside ‘’Are you alright?’’

‘’I think so.’’ She reached to her left and turned on the torch, which dimed the whole tent in a lovely shade of yellow in the next second. ‘’You?’’ she added and was about to remove her glasses, so she could wipe the raindrops off of them, when Patrick noticed it.

‘’You’ve hurt your hand.’’ He gently took her left hand in his, and carefully as he was able turned it around, so he could check on her bruised palm.

‘’Oh! Well, I'm sure there's no need to amputate.’’ She chuckled, but the worried frown across his face told her, Patrick wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

‘’Let me take a look.’’ He insisted. No matter she had no idea when or how she had managed to scrape her hand, it was just a simple bruise.

‘’Do you hav-…?’’

‘’In my backpack.’’ She beat him to his question, well aware he could not help himself. He was a doctor after all. ‘’Right side pocket.’’

‘’Alright.’’ He turned around trying to locate her backpack.

‘’Behind you.’’

‘’Yes, right. Thank you.’’ Patrick pulled the backpack closer to him, unzipped the pocket and froze. ‘’Shelagh?’’

‘’What?’’ she innocently asked when she saw the way he was looking back at her. She was sure she had packed the first aid kit in the right side pocket. Or was it the left one?

‘’Ammm…’’ he chuckled, not really sure what to say ‘’…no matter this calls for an emergency, I don’t think I can work with these…’’

‘’What do you mean?’’ she wondered with no idea what he meant. Not until he pulled a whole package of condoms out of the pocket. Oh, my god! Trixie!!! ‘’I-I…’’

‘’Are you alright?’’ Patrick smirked when he saw her cheeks turned to a lovely shade of red in an instant. ‘’Shelagh?’’

‘’I have no idea how…alright, I do. It was Trixie! I’ve told her that I, that we…oh, my god!’’ Shelagh started to blabber. What in the world could he be thinking of her right now!? She had told him about her wanting to take things slow and here she was with her backpack filled with condoms!

‘’It’s alright, calm down.’’

‘’But I…I’ve told her to…she didn’t listen and I don’t want you to think…’’ she continued but was quickly shut up when his lips covered hers. Forgetting about Trixie and the stupid condoms for a second, she let herself enjoy the feeling of his hot wet tongue making its way past her lips and into her mouth. Tangling with her own flesh again and again. My god! The man could kiss!

‘’Better?’’ he breathlessly whispered against her mouth, when the need for air became too much.

‘’Mhm,” she almost whimpered with her eyes still closed.

‘’Good.’’ he simply said and continued with what he has started. Putting the condoms aside, he pulled the first aid kit out of the pocket, opened it and started mending her palm. He did his work in complete silence and she let him. The only sound that filled the tent was sauntering sound of the raindrops falling on the roof and a couple of thunders cracking the night air above them.

‘’All done.’’ Patrick finally spoke but didn’t look up at her. Instead, he cupped her hand and placed a gentle kiss on the bandaged area. And then another one and another one, before his lips left the softness of her palm and made their way up her arm. Past the ticklish flesh of her wrist, along her forearm and her upper arm, he buried his nose into her neck and for the first time that night, made her moan his name aloud.

‘’Patrick…’’ she tilted her head, giving him more access to gently graze his teeth over the sensitive flesh. This man was going to be the death of her! but she didn’t mind. Not when his hand slipped around her waist and slowly pushed her down onto the sleeping pad. Slipping one of his legs between hers, Patrick nestled himself next to her and continued with what he was doing.

‘’Patrick…’’ Shelagh tried again ‘’…I’m still not read-…’’ she still had no idea what he thought about the condoms he had found. The last thing she wanted,was for him to get any wrong ideas.

‘’I know, and we won’t.’’ He paused with what he was doing and looked at her. Brushing a lock of her golden hair away from her face, he sweetly smiled at her. ‘’You’re beautiful. I don’t tell you often enough. But you are.’’

She had no idea what to say back to him. Not when he was staring back at her as she was the last woman on the entire Earth. In the end, she simply buried her fingers into his damp hair and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Without even realizing when and how, Shelagh’s hand dropped onto his shirt and started unbuttoning the small buttons on it. ‘’You’ll catch your death if we don’t get you out of this.’’ She said when he looked at her with his wandering eyes. She was right. Both of their shirts were soaked from the rain and they both needed a change of clothes, if they didn’t want to catch a cold, or something even worse. So, he let her undress him.

‘’My turn.’’ He wickedly said when she pushed the shirt off of his shoulder and tossed it to the other side of the tent, leaving him only in his undershirt and shorts. Leaning onto his right arm, he let his left one wander up her body, over her belly and between the valley of her breasts before resting on the first button of her blouse. He could see she was nervous, and he would be lying, if he said he wasn’t feeling the same. ‘’May I?’’

‘’Please do.’’ She nodded with no clue what was about to happen. But she trusted him and kept trusting him when he popped the first button open and then another and another, all until his finger brushed over the cotton material of the front of her sports bra. He could see it was the colour of a bright summer sky and before he could stop himself, he lowered his head and placed a kiss between her breasts. In all of their make out sessions, he had never reached this part of her body before and it excited him. And by the way her fingers tugged onto his hair, he knew she felt the same.

And she did. There was so much going through her head while his mouth was placing open mouthed kisses on her skin. ‘’Patrick…’’ she called his name with no idea why.

‘’I’m here.’’ He reassured her and swiftly moved up so he could lock her eyes with his. ‘’Too much?’’

‘’Too little.’’ She laughed and before he knew it, she pulled him into another heathen kiss. As their tongues met over and over again, Patrick’s left hand continued with its mission. With the last button undone, his hand sneaked around her bare waist and pushed her closer to him.

‘’Dear god…’’ Shelagh moaned as she arched her back against him and could feel him hard against her leg. Whatever his plan was, she could only hope he wasn’t about to stop with what he was doing. Her whole body was on fire, aching for something unfamiliar, no matter she knew exactly what it longed for.

Removing his hand from her back, Patrick cupped her face and made her look at him ‘’All you need to do is say stop, and I’ll stop, alright?’’

‘’Mhm.’’ She nodded, not quite sure what she was agreeing to. To be honest, she didn’t even care!

‘’I love you.’’ Was the last thing he said before his lips met hers all over again, and his hand started making its way down her neck, brushing over her breast and her bellybutton, before finally stopping on the button of her jeans.

‘’Patriiick…’’ she hissed into his mouth, feeling more and more impatience with him.

Before they knew it, Patrick unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, nudged her legs slightly more apart with his own and…

‘’Oh, my god!’’ it was his time to moan, when his two middle fingers pushed under the hem of her panties and came into contact with her slick wet folds for the very first time.

Afraid, he might pull his hand away and wanting to let him know, she was more than okay with what was about to happen, Shelagh grabbed on to it and pushed it further down.

‘’Oh, shit!’’ Patrick shut his eyes closed in an attempt to gather his thoughts. ‘’You’re so wet...’’ he whispered against her lips, not quite believing this whole thing was real.

‘’Patrick...’’ Shelagh wiggled her hips, desperate for something more. And he gave it to her.

Locking his eyes with hers, his fingers slowly slipped onto that sweet bundle of nerves and ever so gently started rubbing it in little circles.

‘’Ahhh...’’ Shelagh sunk her teeth into her lower lips with such force, she was sure she could taste her own blood. He _definitely_ knew what he was doing!!

‘’Good?’’ a proud smile escaped from his lips when he saw her closing her eyes and slightly arching her back into his touch.

‘’God, yes!’’ was her only response.

So far, so good, he thought to himself and let his middle finger slide even further down her folds in the next moment. Dipping just the tip of his middle finger inside of her, he kept his eyes on her face, before moving back to the top.

‘’Stooop teasing!’’ Shelagh hissed already aware that this night was going to be the best night of her life.

‘’This, my dear…’’ he whispered and increased the pressure on her ‘’…is just the beginning.’’

And it was.

Before Shelagh could even gather what was happening, Patrick lowered his head and latched his mouth around her already erect nipple through the soft material of her sports bra. Gently sucking on it, a soft mewling sound escaped her lips, which only encouraged him to go further on.

Oh, god! Oh, god! Oh, god! was everything that went through Shelagh’s head. The combination of his lips and his fingers on her body, was driving her crazy. Without even thinking, she buried her finger into his short dark hair and pulled on them so hard, Patrick’s eyes filled with tears.

‘’Easy…’’ he playfully warned her, but kept applying pressure on her clit.

‘’So-sorry...’’ was everything she was able to say back. With every stroke he made, she could feel her inner walls flutter in anticipation. The only person that made her feel this way so far, was her. No one ever got the privilege to touch her where Patrick’s fingers currently were.

Not trusting herself, she pulled him away from her breast and hungerly found his lips. As their deep kisses silent her soft moans, Patrick’s fingers were learning what felt good to her. If she only knew how good she felt under his touch, he thought to himself when she grabbed onto his biceps, desperately looking for something to hold on to.

‘’Patrick, I need…’’ she moaned, at this point not caring who might hear her.

‘’I know, I know.’’ he gently responded and thank the god that the storm outside was getting worse and louder. It was the only reason he decided to take the whole thing to another level. Kissing his way down her body, he once again flickered his tongue over her hardened nipple before removing his hand away from her, and with a little help, got her out of her panties and jeans in the next second.

‘’You’re absolutely breathtaking.’’ Was all he managed to say, before she yanked him on top of her and shut him up with another kiss. If anybody had told her, this camping trip would involve her lying half naked under him, she wouldn’t have believed them. But she was so glad she was. Tucking her hand between them, she was about to undo his belt when his hand stopped her.

‘’What?’’ she breathlessly looked at him, but he only smiled ‘’Not today.’’

‘’But you…’’ she wasn’t an idiot. She could feel he was enjoying this whole thing the same way as she was, but Patrick made up his mind. No matter he was about to explode this whole thing was about her. And only her.

‘’Forget about me.’’ he murmured as he removed her hand away from him and buried his head into the crock of her neck. While biting and licking, he managed to make himself comfortable between her legs, and it didn’t take long for Shelagh to wrap her arms and legs around his body.

Leaving her neck, Patrick’s lips brushed over her jaw and throat, before finally making its way down her body. Passing her breasts and belly button, he moved his arms under her knees and pushed them onto his shoulder.

‘’Oh, shiiiit…’’ Shelagh almost screamed, when his fingers gently spread her apart and she felt his mouth latched around her swollen clit for the first time. ‘’Shit, shit, shit.’’ She kept repeating, as he licked and sucked, making her writh under him.

Sneaking one of his hands around her backside, he tried to hold her steady as she started lifting her hips to his mouth, rhythmically grinding herself against his lips. Every touch, every lick and kiss was meant for one thing only. To pleasure her. And by this point,they both knew it.

‘’Patrick, I-I, oooh, god!’’ every nerve in her body was on fire! And when she thought this whole thing could not get any better, his finger gently entered her…and then another one.

‘’Ohhh…’’ was this the way she was going to die? She thought to herself somewhere deep inside of her, as one of her hands took the hold of the material of her sleeping bag under her and the other buried its fingers into his hair, pushing him down on her even harder.

No matter his jaw was starting to ache, Patrick increased the pressure on her and fastened the movements of his fingers. By the way her body was slowly falling apart in his hold, he knew she wasn’t far from crumbling under his touch. And he wasn’t far from the truth.

Shelagh’s head was spinning and with every stroke he made, she could feel a new wave of heat building inside of her. What in the world had made her wait this long to let someone touch her this way?!

‘’Pat-…I’m…ahh…’’ she knew she wasn’t making any sense at this point, but she didn’t care. Right now, nothing mattered but the way he was making her feel! And it got even better, because in the next second his fingers hit that sweet spot inside of her that made her entire body tensed and screamed his name.

With his fingers still inside her, he managed to wiggle his head away from her, just in time to observe her body fighting with waves of pure pleasure. Good god, she was beautiful, he proudly thought to himself as he kept his gaze on her. He could feel her inner walls flutter around his fingers over and over again, desperately squeezing and pulling onto them. Oh, what he would give to be inside of her right this moment!

Pulling himself up, he laid on his side next to her in an attempt to simply wait for her to come down from her high, but she didn’t let him. Somehow, she managed to pull him into a kiss and tasting herself on his lips, made the whole thing even worse for her.

It took her a while, but ever so slowly, her body finally started to calm down. Gently as he was able, he slipped his finger out of her, covered them with a blanket and hooked his hand around her waist, pulling her into his body.

‘’Are you okay?’’ he finally asked when she still did not open her eyes.

‘’I never knew anything could feel this way.’’ She turned to look at him and could see a proud grin written all over his face.

‘’You’re welcome.’’ He chuckled. It felt good to know, he still had it in him.

‘’Shut up.’’ She started to giggle, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself ‘’Oh, god. This was…I can’t even…what if the boys heard me? What if…?’’

‘’Shelagh, calm down.’’ Patrick quickly interrupted her and made her laid on her side, tucking her leg between his, so he could pull her ever closer into his body. ‘’No one heard you.’’ He reassured her.

‘’Are you sure?’’ she tucked her head under his chin. She felt sweaty and tired, but the warmth of his body on hers, made her feel alive.

‘’I’m sure.’’ He kissed the top of her head and hissed in the next moment, when her leg accidentally grazed over his still hard erection ‘’Easy…’’

‘’What are we going to do about…?’’

‘’Nothing.’’

‘’But…’’

‘’Shelagh, don’t.’’ he stopped her hand from doing whatever she wanted to do ‘’No matter I want to, I meant what I’ve said earlier. This was about you, not me.’’

‘’But you can’t…you’ll explode!’’ this wasn’t fair, she thought to herself. Not after he had made her feel so unbelievable good.

‘’I will not.’’ Patrick giggled, no matter his situation was getting more and more painful.

‘’Patrick…’’

‘’Shelagh…’’

‘’At least you do something about it, if you don’t want me to…’’

‘’Just give me a few minutes, it’ll go away,” He insisted. No matter he would do anything to feel her palm wrapped around him, there was no way he was making this about his own needs.

‘’Oh, for god’s sake!’’ Shelagh cursed, when she saw he was being serious.

‘’Shelagh, don’-…’’ he tried to stop her, but she was too fast. Undoing his belt, she snuck her hand into his pants, and made him groan in pleasure in the next moment. He was hard and hot under her touch, and no matter she had no idea what she was doing, she bravely stroked him up and down a couple of times.

‘’No, no, don’t.’’ Patrick tried to protest but knew he was losing. Her tiny, but strong hand felt too good around him, and to be completely honest he didn’t have anymore energy to stop what was about to happen to him.

‘’E-easy …’’ he whispered into her hair when she pulled onto him a little too strong.

‘’Sorry…’’ Shelagh was afraid she'd done something wrong, but he quickly calmed her down by covering her hand with his and started guiding it, showing her what felt good to him.

‘’That’s it, that’s it…’’ he encouraged her, and it didn’t take long for him to reach his own peak. ‘’Oh, god!’’

‘’See? I’ve told you, you’d feel better.’’ She smirked and pulled her hand out of his pants. No matter she was completely new to all of this, she could not help but feel just a little bit proud of herself. Yes, it was short and fast, but the satisfied look on Patrick’s face was all her doing. And it meant the world to her, especially after what he’s made her feel just a few minutes ago.

‘’God, I love you.’’ Was all Patrick replied and pressed a slow, lingering kiss on her lips.

‘’I love you too.’’ She smiled against his lips, when he pulled away. They could stay like this forever if they could. But with two boys sleeping just a few feet away, Patrick knew they had to make themselves presentable if something would go wrong during the night. So, they did.

Fully clothed and comfortably wrapped in their sleeping bags, they cuddled together and slowly drifted to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

He was still lightly snoring against her shoulder, when Shelagh woke up the next morning. The first sun rays have started to illuminate their little tent, but she knew it might be a while before the boys would wake up and force her to leave his warm embrace, so they could start a new day. She adored Tim, but she would be lying if she’d say she didn’t want to stay in Patrick’s warm embrace just a little longer.

Slowly as it was possible, she shifted her whole body around and faced him without waking him up. Which was a hard thing to do, considering his arm was almost glued around her middle, holding her into his body.

She knew she shouldn’t do anything that might wake him up, the man had rarely taken a day off from his work, but seeing him like this, she couldn’t help herself. Her palm cupped his stubble cheek and let her thumb caress his soft lips. Lips that had been on her less than 8 hours ago! My god, the man certainly knew what he was doing, she thought to herself and could feel a blush creeping on her face. Only by making her feel safe enough to let him do what he had done to her, made Shelagh love him even more…if that was even possible.

Tracing her gaze all over him, she took a moment to appreciate how ridiculously handsome he looked while peacefully sleeping next to her - with his dark hair all messed up and his lips turned upside, giving her a boyish grin without even knowing it.

‘’Stop it.’’ His lips suddenly moved under her fingertips, catching her completely unprepared.

‘’Stop what?’’ she frowned her eyebrows, not understanding what he meant.

‘’You’re staring, Miss Mannion.’’ He replied with a soft smile playing on his face.

‘’No, I’m not.’’ She tried to protest, no matter she knew he was right.

‘’Oh, yes, you are.’’

‘’And what if I am? What are you going to do about it?’’ Shelagh bit her inner cheek and the playfulness in her voice made Patrick finally open his sleepy eyes.

‘’I’m going to kiss you _before_ brushing my teeth.’’

‘’You wouldn’t dare!’’ Shelagh giggled while already tilting her chin upwards to meet his eager lips. After the night they had had, a little morning breath was the last thing on her mind.

It was a sweet and slow kiss, which made both of them relax in each other's arms instantly.

‘’Good morning,’’ Patrick whispered and lovingly brushed his nose against hers. It felt so good waking up next to her again. Ever since she had moved back to her place, his big bed felt so cold and empty without her in it.

‘’Good morning.’’ She replied and buried her head in the crack of his neck.

‘’Shelagh?’’ he called her name after a few moments of silence.

‘’Mmm?’’ her warm breath tickled his Adam’s apple in the most delicious way possible.

‘’Amm...’’ he took a deep breath, desperately trying to gather his thoughts. ‘’...are you okay? With what happened yesterday, I mean? You know, with me...’’

‘’Patrick?’’ she quickly stopped him mid-sentence and pulled herself up, so she could look him directly into his eyes. She knew him well enough to know, he was worried that he had once again pushed her into doing something she wasn’t ready for.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Have I, at any point, asked you to stop?’’

‘’I don’t think so.’’

‘’I’m okay.’’ She giggled when she saw his worried face.

‘’So, it was good?’’ he really wanted to be sure. He had no idea why, but the last thing he wanted to do was to mess things up between the two of them. It’s been so long since his dating times.

‘’I think you and me both know, it was more than good, Mister.’’

‘ _’Oh, really?_ ’’ a proud grin appeared on his face, making Shelagh feeling hot all of a sudden.

‘’Yeah, really.’’ She admitted. There was no point in lying. It had been bloody fantastic. ‘’Proud, are we?’’

‘’Just a little.’’ Patrick chuckled and made Shelagh slap him on his chest ‘’Shut up!’’

‘’Oh, don’t be embarrassed.’’ He said when he saw her blushing.

‘’I’m not.’’ Shelagh looked him straight in his eyes ‘’It’s just...new, I guess? No one had ever...and I’ve never...’’ she started to blabbering, not quite sure which words to use ‘’...so, I’m sorry if I didn’t manage to make you feel the same way you made me, but...’’

‘’Oh, don’t you worry, Miss Mannion, you’ve done a _very, very_ good job.’’ Only thinking about her small, strong hand on him, made his blood boil. She might be inexperienced, but they had so much time to learn what felt good to them.

‘’Stop teasing.’’

‘’I’m not.’’ He firmly said. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel he was mocking her. ‘’I’m just sorry, I didn’t last longer.’’

‘’Well, you’re not a young man, anymore.’’ She said with a straight face before bursting into giggles, when she saw the way he looked at her.

‘’Take that back, Mannion!’’

‘’Make me.’’ She bit her lower lip and before she knew it, Patrick rolled onto her and started tickling her.

‘’No, no, stop it!! Stop it!!’’ Shelagh laughed as his fingers dug into her soft flesh ‘’Patriiick, stop it!!’’

‘’Take it back!’’ at this point he was laughing with her, well aware she was only messing with him.

‘’NO!’’ she wouldn’t give in, not until he covered her lips with his and gave a slow, open mouth kiss, which made her go all putty in his hands.

‘’I-I take it back.’’ Shelagh mumbled when the need for air became too much for both of them, ‘’I take it back.’’ There was definitely nothing old about him. Nothing!

‘’That’s better.’’ Patrick could not help but chuckle. If she only knew how gorgeous she was laying under him like this, with her reddened and swollen lips, looking absolutely adorable without her glasses on. How could he get so lucky? What good had he done in his life to be blessed with her?! ‘’Shelagh, how about w-…?’’

‘’Sshhh.’’ Her finger covered his lips and shut him up.

‘’Wha…?’’ he tried again, but she once again shushed him.

‘’It’s raining.’’ She simply said and it took him a second to realize what she was saying. But she was right! It was raining!

‘’Oh, for god’s sake.’’ After the storm they had had, Patrick was sure their little tents wouldn't survive another one. And he was right, because in the next second his son’s voice filled his ears, ‘’DAD!?!’’

‘’Tim?’’ Patrick forced himself to let go of Shelagh’s warm body and unzipped the tent, only to find Timothy standing in front of him, covered with mud all up to his knees. ‘’What happened?’’

‘’I fell coming over here.’’ The boy simply replied, ‘’Our tent is leaking.’’

‘’All right…’’ Patrick looked over his shoulder at Shelagh, who already knew what he was about to say ‘’…get packed. We're booking into a hotel for the rest of the weekend.’’


	29. Chapter 29

‘’Do you think they’ll be alright?’’ Shelagh asked from the little bathroom while drying her hair with a towel. 

‘’They’ll be just fine, don’t worry about it. They are just across the hall and after the day we’ve had, they’ll stay there till morning.’’ Patrick replied, half laying half sitting on top of their comfy, dry bed, reading some medical article on his phone.

It had taken them almost two hours before they had managed to pack everything into Patrick’s little car and finally left the campsite. And after an hour drive in the rainstorm, Shelagh had realized he had missed the turn, and with that their hotel. It was almost time for lunch when they had finally reached their destination. With rain pouring, they had a quick meal, had taken a long nap and had spent a rainy afternoon playing board games in the common room of the hotel.

‘’Are you sure?’’ she walked out the bathroom with her hair still a little damp. But she didn’t care. After the day they’d had, all she wanted was to get to bed and cuddle with her man. Or even maybe something more.

‘’I’m sure.’’ He replied and continued with his reading. ‘’I think you’ve got a text while you were in the shower.’’

‘’Oh?’’ Shelagh walked to the little table in the corner of the room where she was charging her phone ‘’Oh, my god! Lucille and Cyril are getting married! In two months!’’ she happily announced as she read the text. 

‘’That’s nice.’’ Patrick mumbled, only half listening to what she was saying.

‘’How in the world will they manage to organize the whole thing in only 8 weeks?’’

‘’Yes, yes.’’ Patrick simply replied, not taking his gaze off of the article.

‘’Patrick?’’ Shelagh looked up from her own phone and realized he probably hadn’t heard a word she was saying. But seeing him on the bed, wearing only a simple white T-shirt and a pair of dark green boxer shorts, it didn’t really matter. Especially as he was wearing that stupid black reading glasses of his, which made him look even more dashing that he already was.

‘’Mhm?’’ 

Quickly writing a congratulations reply to Lucille, she put her phone away, turned the main light off and made her way to the bed. Reaching the end of it, she crawled up the length of his body and finally got the reaction she wanted

‘’Hey, I was reading that!’’ Patrick protested when she took his phone away from his grasp, but quickly shut his mouth when she straddled his hips in the next moment.

‘’Patrick?’’ she made herself comfortable, too comfortable for his liking, and locked her arms around his neck.

‘’Y-Yes?’’ he swallowed hard. He had no idea what she was up to, but the delicious weight of her body pressing down onto his, made him realize he didn’t really care. 

‘’Would you go on this wedding as my date?’’

‘’What wedding?’’ he played coy.

‘’Patrick!’’ Shelagh playfully smacked his shoulder. 

‘’Yes, yes, I’ll go. But does that mean you are ready for us to go public?’’ Ever since they had started dating, Shelagh had been really worried how the hospital was going to react to them being in a relationship. There was no law that prohibited them being together, but it definitely wasn’t encouraged. Especially as they have been working in the same hospital ward. It could get very messy, really quickly. 

‘’Well, to be completely honest, I think most of the midwives already know about us.’’

‘’Except for Nurse Crane.’’ They said in one voice and burst into a set of laughter a second later.

‘’I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out what were the real reasons for your little visits in my office.’’ Patrick smirked, aware Phyllis was going to have a little talk with him the moment she found out.

‘’Oh, god. She’ll kill me.’’ Shelagh buried her face into his neck.

‘’You and me both.’’ He joked as his hands found their way onto her exposed skin on her thighs. ‘’But I think you are worth the risk, so yes, I’ll go with you.’’

‘’Oh, you think so, do you??’’ Shelagh’s voice got all playful all of a sudden, catching him completely unprepared. He was about to say something more, but her warm wet open mouth kisses on the skin of his neck shut him up. 

‘’Shelagh…’’ he whispered her name as she gently bit him, and let her lips continue its path from the back of his ear towards his lips. The atmosphere in the room definitely changed and to be completely honest, Patrick didn’t really know what was happening. 

‘’Shelaghhhh…’’ he hissed as she gently pushed her hips down on him. This was getting dangerous, he thought to himself as he could feel himself responding to her.

‘’Yes?’’ she literally purred against his stubbled cheek. She could only hope she was brave enough to do this.

‘’What are we doing?’’ he pulled his head back and looked directly into her blue eyes. He had an idea what it was, but he didn’t want to presume anything.

‘’Well...’’ she removed his glasses and placed them on the nightstand ‘’...I was thinking...’’

‘’Yes?’’ he could see she had some trouble saying whatever she wanted to say, so he gave her time. There was no point in putting more stress onto her - onto them, when it came to the matters of the intimacy.

‘’I was thinking...’’ she tried again, feeling more and more stupid. She knew exactly what she wanted to say and do, but for some reason found it really difficult to actually do any of it.

‘’Come here.’’ Patrick cupped her cheek and pulled her into a gentle kiss. She was getting frustrated by something and that was the last thing he wanted for her. 

‘’What’s going on in that head of yours, hmm?’’ he asked when they parted.

‘’I want to return the favour!’’ she blabbered, feeling her cheeks getting hotter.

‘’What favour?’’ Patrick got confused for a second, all until her eyes drifted down his body and stopped at the place where their bodies were currently pressing on each other.

''Ohhh!’’ 

‘’Yes, ohhh.’’ Shelagh looked up again, having no idea what his response will be.

‘’Well...’’ he smirked ‘’...first of all, me going down on you last night was not a favour, but an act of love and adoration. Second of all, we decided to go slow, so I don’t want you to do anything that you are yet not ready to do.’’

‘’It’s has nothing to do with me not being ready.’’ She admitted, ‘’I just want to make you feel the same way you’ve made me feel.’’

‘’But you did...’’ Only remembering her strong hand on him last night, made him crave for more. 

‘’That was nothing, Patrick!’’

‘’It wasn’t nothing.’’ He took her hand and placed it over his heart ‘’It was a start and I love you even more for even thinking about it.’’ 

‘’I want to try it,...’’ she firmly said ‘’...I’m just scared that I’ll do something wrong and hurt you in the process.’’

For some reason the whole thing really bothered her. And Patrick could see it. Not saying a word, he removed her glasses the same way she did his earlier and pulled her into another kiss. 

But this one was nothing like the previous one. Without wasting any more time, Shelagh’s tongue eagerly parted his lips and made Patrick whimper in the next moment, as she pressed her hips down on him even harder. She wasn’t bluffing, Patrick thought to himself.

And she really wasn’t. Because in the next moment, the hand which was resting over his heart, started making its way lower and lower, and before Patrick could do or say anything else, her palm firmly cupped him through the material of his boxers shorts. 

‘’S-Shelagh?’’ he hissed her name between their kisses.

‘’Mhm?’’ 

‘’Are you sure about this?’’ he asked her, but he knew he was asking the same question to himself. He had no idea if he was strong enough to let her do this without losing his mind in the process. There was no point in lying...he wanted her. Badly.

But she didn’t answer him. Ending their kiss, she looked him directly into his eyes, gave him a wicked smile and started lowering herself down his body.

‘’Oh, shit; oh, shit; oh, shit.’’ Patrick covered her face with his palms, trying to calm himself down. This could not be over before it even started.

No matter if it was Shelagh who lacked in experience, he had to admit it to himself, he was feeling quite nervous himself. It’s been a long time since someone did anything like this to him. And like Shelagh, he didn’t want to disappoint her.

Taking a deep breath, he once again wanted to make sure she was alright with what was about to happen, when he felt her teeth scrape across his hardness, which was still tucked safely under the cotton material of his boxers shorts.

But not for long, Shelagh thought to herself when she gazed up and could see him staring back at her. There was something in his eyes she had never seen until now. She didn’t know what it was, but it gave her the courage to continue with what she had started.

‘’Good god!’’ Patrick whimpered, when she tucked her fingers into his boxers and set him free. This was too good to be true, he thought to himself without no idea how wrong he was.

‘’Oh, fuck!’’ was all that left his lips, when her mouth placed a wet kiss on him for the very first time. This could not be real! He could not be that lucky! But it was and he was!

Because in the next second, without any warning at all, Shelagh took him in her mouth and made Patrick aware that this was just the beginning of their last night of their camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🤭☺️😉


	30. Chapter 30

‘’Do you think they finally did it?’’ Valerie leaned on the hospital counter, where Trixie was filling up some paperwork. ‘’Because, I think they did.

‘’Who do I think did what?’’ Trixie kept her eyes on her work, with no idea what her friend was talking about.

‘’Shelagh and Dr Turner.’’ Val whispered ‘’You know... _ the S word.’ _ ’’

‘’What?’’ Trixie’s head shot up ‘’What are you talking about?’’

‘’Look at him.’’ Val carefully pointed behind Trixie.

‘’Yes?’’ Trixie lowered her pen and turned around, but all she could see was Patrick on the other end of the hall, talking to Nurse Crane.

‘’Just  _ look _ at him.’’ Val repeated, but it was no use. Trixie still had no idea what she meant.

‘’Val...’’

‘’They totally did it.’’

‘’Why do you say that?’’ Trixie asked and once again looked at Patrick, trying her best to see what her friend was apparently seeing.

‘’Just look at him! He’s jolly!’’

‘’So, what? He’s alway-...’’

‘’No, no, no, Trix.’’ Val cut her ‘’He is nice and polite, happy even, but this...he’s being jolly. Has been all week. Something has definitely happened between them over the weekend.’’

‘’But...’’ taking another look, Trixie suddenly started seeing what Val was talking about. She was right! Dr Turner was almost always in a good mood, but she had to admit that there was an extra sparkle in his eyes in the last few days. He even looked younger! And that smirk of his! ‘’No!!’’ she gasped as she realized Val might be onto something.

‘’Mhm.’’ 

‘’But Shelagh would surely tell me, if anything would had happened between the two of them!’’ Trixie still refused to believe what her friend was saying.

‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’Of course I’m sure! She’s my best friend, Val! I could write countless essays about her virginity! Why wouldn’t she say something to me if something would have actually happened!?’’ Trixie tried to reason with her and herself, but had to admit that even Shelagh was acting a little strange since returning home on Sunday evening.

‘’I don’t know.’’ Valerie chuckled, ‘’But something is definitely up.’’

‘’What are you two whispering about?’’ Barbara and Lucille suddenly appeared by their side. No matter, Trixie and Barbara had known Shelagh since their uni days, Val and Lucille had quickly become the part of their little group. The five of them had practically become a dream team since Shelagh’s arrival in London, almost four months ago.

‘’Shelagh and the good Doctor over there.’’ Valerie replied with the biggest smirk.

‘’What about them?’’ Barbara asked while going through some files, not really paying any attention to what Val was saying.

‘’We think they finally  _ did it _ .’’

‘’Did what?’’ Barbara innocently asked, but Lucille had to give Val only one glance to realize what her friend was talking about.

‘’NO WAY!?’’ she almost screamed, her loud voice attracting some attention. Even Patrick and Nurse Crane, who were still on the other side of the hall, looked up to see what was going on.

‘’What? WHAT?’’ Barbara quickly asked, when she finally realized something important was happening in front of her, but had no idea what.

‘’Is it true!?’’ Lucille ignored her, and turned to look at Trixie, who at this point tried her very best to act as normal as possible. The last thing they all needed, was Nurse Crane having one of hers talks with them, followed by some extra duties on the ward.

‘’Lower your voiceless, for heaven sake!’’ she whispered. ‘’I don’t know, alright. Shelagh didn’t say a word to me about anything, but…’’

‘’But what?’’ Lucille smiled, hoping Val was right. The four of them knew all about Shelagh’s decision to wait for the right man. But no matter they all respected and never really made fun of it, the thought of her taking their relationship to another level, made all of them feel happy and excited for her. Well, except Barbara, who still had no idea what the whole conversation was about.

‘’What’s going on!?’’ Barbara tried again, but was once again ignored by all of her friends.

‘’Val is right…’’ Trixie replied to Lucille’s question ‘’…something is up. He’s acting weird, and she…oh, there she is!?’’ Trixie spotted Shelagh coming out of the staff changing room and before Shelagh could even realize what was going on, Trixie pushed her back into the room.

‘’Hey, wha-…’’ Shelagh tried to protest, but the girls completely ignored her and set themselves into action. While Val and Lucille made sure they were all alone, Trixie made Barbara lock the door behind them. It was time for some girl talk and they could not risk anyone overhearing them.

‘’So, Miss Mannion.’’ Trixie grinned at her, after the girls made a little half circle around her still clueless friend. ‘’Is there anything you’d like to share with us? Anything at all.’’

‘’No?’’ What in the world was going on? In one moment, she was getting ready to start her shift and in another one, she was being interrogated by her friends in the middle of the changing room.

‘’Are you sure?’’ Val almost giggled. She had to be right about this! She simply had to be!

‘’Y-Yes.’’ Shelagh gave the four of them a weak smile. It had to be something good, they were all grinning back at her like a group of idiots…well, except Barbara, who had almost the same look on her face as she had. Amused, but completely clueless about what was happening. ‘’Or at least I think I am.’’

‘’Think harder.’’ Trixie crossed her hands on her chest and kept staring at her friend.

‘’Okay…what’s going on?’’ Shelagh got tired of whatever game they were playing with her.

Looking at each other, Val gave a slight nod and without any warning at all, Trixie finally asked what they were all dying to know. ‘’Have you or haven’t you slept with Patrick over the weekend?’’

‘’I…’’

‘’YOU’VE SLEPT WITH HIM!?’’ Barbara almost screamed when she finally realized what the girls were talking about back at the counter.

‘’Oh, sweetie…’’ Trixie laughed when she saw how shocked her friend was.

‘’HOW WAS IS IT!? WHERE DID IT HAPPEN!? HOW DID IT HA-…?’’ Barbara started to question her, but was quickly interrupted by her friends, who tried to shut her up.

‘’Let her speak, Barbara!’’ Val covered her friend’s mouth with her palm, and looked back at Shelagh ‘’So?’’

‘’I…’’ Shelagh’s eyes ran from one of her friends to another. They were all staring at her, waiting for her answer with the biggest smiles on their faces, she had even seen.

‘’Yes?’’ they all said in one voice.

‘’No.’’ Shelagh simply answered and had to laugh at their faces in the next moment.

‘’What do you mean no?’’ Trixie was the first to speak.

‘’I mean, no as nothing happened.’’ Shelagh told a white lie.

‘’But…you…and him…’’ Val managed to say a few words ‘’But he’s jolly!’’

‘’Excuse me??’’ Shelagh laughed even harder, with no idea what that was supposed to mean.

‘’Oh, god! Val! I’ve told you, she’d told me, if anything would happen!’’ Trixie nudged Val away from her, feeling disappointed and relieved at the same time.

‘’Trixie, what’s going on?’’ Shelagh seriously asked, when they started to bicker in front of her like little children. So, Trixie told her. Everything.

‘’Oh…’’ was all Shelagh said at the end.

‘’Yeah, oh…’’ Val exhaled, feeling rather disappointed with herself. She was so sure she was right!

‘’You really think he looks jolly?’’ Shelagh grinned. It made her incredibly happy to hear her friends say Patrick looked happier, since they’ve started dating.

‘’He does, he really does.’’ Lucille nodded her head.

‘’I’m still not quite sure, how Nurse Crane doesn’t know about you two.’’ Val pointed out. No matter their relationship was still a secret, anyone who spent two minutes in their company, could understand there was something going on between them. You had to be an idiot not to see the way Dr Turner was staring at Shelagh, when he thought no one was looking. ‘’Especially, when you spend every free minute in his office.’’

‘’That’s not true!’’ Shelagh blushed.

‘’Oh, yeah it is!’’ Barbara laughed.

‘’But…’’

‘’If I didn’t know you were waiting, I’d be sure you two were acting like two little rabbits in there!’’

‘’Trixie!’’ Shelagh looked at her friend, feeling embarrassed. Maybe she had slipped into his office a couple of times during her break, but they had never once done anything inappropriate. Or at least nothing they could not stop doing, if someone knocked on the door.

‘’What, it’s true.’’ Trixie only smiled ‘’Okay, girls! We have work to do!’’

‘’Yeah, let’s go. I don’t want Phyllis on my back all day again.’’ Val unlocked the door and started walking out.

‘’She’s not that bad!’’ Barbara tried to defend their senior nurse while following Val and Lucille out of the room, leaving Trixie and Shelagh alone.

‘’So, nothing happened, hmmm?’’ Trixie tried her luck again. She knew Shelagh way too well, to believe she was telling the truth. They might not have slept together, but something definitely happened between them while they were away.

‘’Something might.’’ Shelagh grinned.

‘’I knew it!’’

‘’Trix, I don’t want to talk about it.’’ She honestly said, ‘’It’s private, and I don’t want Patrick to feel…’’

‘’It’s okay, I completely understand.’’ Trixie interrupted her, ‘’But let me ask you this.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’Was it good?’’ Trixie bit her inner cheeks, feeling oh-so happy for her friend.

‘’Trixie, dear...it was  _ more _ than good.’’ Was all that Shelagh said, before walking past her friend and out of the room.


	31. Chapter 31

“...and gloves.’’ Shelagh went through the list of things Nurse Crane had sent her to fetch, less than 10 minutes after she and Trixie had exited the changing room. Shelagh was quite sure getting supplies wasn’t in her job description. Phyllis sending her to the tiny supply room at the end of the hall was her way of saying she wasn’t too keen on her midwives wasting their time giggling about personal affairs during work hours. 

“I’m almost done.” she said when she heard the door behind her, sure that Nurse Crane had come to check what was taking her so long.

But she was wrong. 

“Hello, nurse.’’ His warm breath sent a thrilling spark down her spine as he locked his arms around her waist and placed an open mouthed kiss on her neck.

She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. After three months of being with him, her body was more than familiar with his touch, his warmth, his smell... with that safe bubble, he managed to create between them the moment he wrapped his strong arms around her. “Dr. McNulty, how many times must I tell you...I’m gay.”

“Don’t rub it in.” Patrick smiled against her skin, knowing exactly what she meant. Apparently Kevin had asked his colleague over lunch two days ago, if he knew if Nurse Mannion was seeing someone. The only thing Patrick could think of, in that moment of pure panic, had been that the lovely new midwife was into women. Shelagh had almost wet her pants, when he had texted her about what he had done.

“What are you doing here?” Shelagh giggled and turned around in his hold.

“Just saying hello.” He sweetly replied with the biggest grin, “Hello.”

“Hi.” 

“Hi.” Patrick whispered, leaned down and captured her lips between his. It was a slow kiss that made Shelagh let go of the stuff she was holding and bury her fingers into his hair.

The only place inside the hospital walls that they had felt safe enough to make out, was in the privacy of his office. So  _ this _ , whatever this was, was something completely new to Shelagh. 

“They were right.’’ She gasped when the need to breathe, broke them apart. He really was being jolly for the last couple of days. 

“Right about what?” Patrick took a step forward, pushing her back against the shelf.

“Nothing.” She shook her head and pulled him down for another kiss. It didn’t really matter what was the reason for him taking the time from his busy schedule to come and find her. He was here! In the tiny supply room at the end of the hall, making her feel things that should be reserved for the privacy of their bedroom.

“Patriiick...” His name left her lips, when his left hand found its way under her scrubs and cupped her breast.

“What?” he played coy, no matter he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“We really shouldn’t.” Shelagh looked up and saw him grinning down at her.

“I know.” What in the world had gotten into him?! She wondered when he pushed his leg between hers, not taking his eyes off of her the entire time.

“What’s goin-...?” she tried to ask, but was interrupted by his eager lips all over her again.

Shelagh knew she should stop them. This wasn’t the time or the place for any of this, but...how could she? He tasted so damn good, so perfect! He might be the one feeling jollier since their little camping trip, but to be completely honest with herself, Shelagh could feel the change in herself too. She wanted him. All of him. And by the way her body was starting to respond to him, she knew she would have to have a talk,  _ the talk _ , with him in the near future. 

“The door...” she gasped when he picked her up and placed her down on a small desk on his left. She trusted him enough to know, they weren’t about to take this whole thing to another level, but she had to admit she was curious to see what he was up to.

“Locked.” It was the first thing he’d done when he had come in. 

“Good!” she pushed his coat from his shoulders as his lips made their way down her face and onto her neck and up again. 

Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him further into her body and it didn’t take long for him to lift her arms in the air and get her out of her scrubs top.

“You are absolutely gorgeous.” He said out of breath before leaning down to kiss a little blue bruise on the top of her right breast, which his mouth had made only a few days ago. “Sorry about that.”

“Stop apologizing and kiss me!” she cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss. The poor soul had spent the last four days apologizing for the love bite, which made Shelagh all giddy inside. It was on the spot no one except she or he had the privilege to see, and it made her feel like she had a big secret, no one would ever find out about. 

But she was so wrong. 

Because in the next moment, when Patrick’s fingers were about to slip under the elastic hem of her scrubs, a firm voice filled their ears, making them stop everything they were about to do.


	32. Chapter 32

“Phyllis!?” Patrick looked over his shoulder and could see their head nurse staring directly at them.

“Oh, crap.’’ Shelagh buried her face into Patrick’s chest, ashamed to even look at her.

“Ammm, i-is there anything I can help you with?’’ Patrick coughed himself, trying his best to cover up half-naked Shelagh with his own body.

‘’Nurse Mannion…’’ Phyllis ignored him ‘’…a word.’’

‘’Y-Yes, yes, of course…’’ Shelagh jumped off the table, picked up her top from the ground and put it on. She could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment! How was she ever going to look into Phyllis’s eyes again! She had spent all this time trying to prove herself to her and now what!?!,

“Don’t worry, we’ll be alright.” Patrick whispered to her when he saw how worried she was. No matter he knew how strict Phyllis could be, rules were rules in her book. And no matter there wasn’t one about saying he and Shelagh couldn’t date each other, he was pretty sure there was at least one, which did not encourage them to do what they have just done.

_ ‘’Alone. _ ’’ Phyllis calmly, but firmly said.

‘’What?’’ Patrick stopped pulling his white coat on and looked at the older woman.

‘’I’d like to talk to Nurse Mannion alone.’’

‘’But…’’ he tried to protest but Shelagh stopped him by placing a palm on his chest ‘’Go. I’ll be alright.’’

‘’Shelagh…’’

‘’Go.’’ She almost pleaded. She knew she was already in enough trouble without a respected OB-GYN taking her side and making Phyllis feel she didn’t have any power when it came to her midwives. 

‘’Bu-..I-…’’ Patrick tried to say but the look in her eyes made him shut up and listen to her.

‘’Doctor Turner?’’ Phyllis called over her shoulder.

‘’Yes?’’

‘’Your fly…’’ she simply pointed out and it was enough for him to blush, before he tucked his shirt back in his trousers, zipped his fly, and with a heavy heart walked out of the room.

‘’Now…’’ Phyllis started but Shelagh was quicker. ‘’Nurse Crane, I’m so, so sorry! I-I don’t even know where to start but…’’ she was a newly arrived midwife and she knew this was bad. Very bad. ‘’…I, we…I don’t know how this happened. I was getting the supplies and then…’’ she wanted to explain while redoing her messy ponytail, when the door behind Phyllis’s back flew open.

‘’Actually, no.’’ Patrick stormed back inside.

‘’Excuse me?’’ Phyllis looked at him puzzled.

‘’I’m not going anywhere.’’

‘’Dr Turner…’’

‘’No! I’m staying.” He stepped next to Shelagh,  _ not in front of her but next to _ , and took her hand in his.

‘’Doctor Turner…’’ Phyllis tried again but it was a lost case. 

“I don’t care…” he shook his head “...she and I are a team, and there is no way I’m letting you punish her for something I’ve started.’’

‘’Patrick…’’ Shelagh’s gentle voice made him look at her. ‘’No, Shelagh, I won’t let this impact on you or your job. You are a wonderful midwife. And not just that, you are cool, calm, collected and professional. You are brilliant at what you do and mothers adore you! Your colleagues respect you and I love you! I love her!’’ he turned to Phyllis. 

‘’You can fire her, but I’m telling you right now and right here, if she goes, I go. I’ve given this place so much of my knowledge and devotion and sweat, and if you or the idiots upstairs can’t accept a simple fact, I’ve fallen madly in love with one of their midwives, well…they can all go fuck themselves!” He concluded out of breath feeling Shelagh’s eyes on him.

‘’Are you done?’’ Phyllis calmly asked.

‘’Yes,’’ he nodded.

‘’Good.’’ She gave them a weak smile, confusing both of them with it really. ‘’Now, if I may…I’ve been on board about this relationship since its very beginning, but I will not allow any of this to affect the good work Nurse Mannion is doing. As you said, she is brilliant at what she does…but that does not mean you two are allowed to fornicate like two maniacs inside the hospital premises. I don’t care what takes place in the privacy of your office Patrick, but I don’t want to be a witness to any of this fooling around during my watch. Are we clear about that?’’

‘’You knew?’’ was the only thing Patrick and Shelagh asked in one voice.

‘’Of course, I knew!’’ Phyllis chuckled, ‘’I’m not stupid! I can see you jumping down the hall like a little girl for the last couple of weeks and I’m more than aware where Nurse Mannion spends her breaks. I’m happy for you two but, I hope you understand I have a duty and I’ll need to report you if this kind of behaviour repeats.’’

‘’It won’t! We promise!’’ Shelagh reassured her.

‘’Yes, we promise.’’ Patrick chipped in, glad it was Phyllis who had walked on them and not someone else. Otherwise, this whole thing could end a lot worse than it did.

‘’I expect the supplies to be with me in five minutes time, Nurse Mannion.’’ Phyllis said and started walking out.

‘’Yes, of course. I’ll be right there.’’ Shelagh called after her and with that Phyllis was gone, leaving the couple by themselves.

‘’Shela-…’’ Patrick wanted to say, with no idea if he said too much or not enough during his little speech, but Shelagh did not give him the chance to finish. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a hungry kiss that made him gasp into her mouth.

‘’I love you so much.’’ She smiled against his lips when they broke apart, ‘’But if you forget to lock the door the next time, you’re a dead man.’’

‘’I did lock them,’’ Patrick chuckled. ‘’I just forgot she has all the keys!”

‘’Mhm…’’ she purred against the skin of his neck, her breath sending a trilling spark down his body.

‘’Are you saying there will be a next time?’’ he teased with laughter in his voice.

‘’Don’t push it, Turner.’’ Shelagh looked up and it made her insides twist with love when she saw the way he was looking at her.

‘’I was serious, you know? I would be coming with you if they did let you go.’’

‘’And I, no matter how much I love you for it, would not allow it.’’ She firmly said. It was sweet of him to say it but he had Tim to think about, and there was no way she would let him do anything that might threaten his son’s stability and future.

‘’You are unbelievable.’’ Patrick had no idea what he had done to deserve her, but boy, he was glad he had.

‘’Come, let’s go.’’ she took his hand and pulled him out of the room with her. She didn’t care who might know about them being a couple. Most of the midwives already knew and with Phyllis knowing, they really had no reason to keep it a secret. But as they stepped out on the hall, they realized a lot more people knew and were behind them one hundred percent. The hall was packed with their co-workers, with Trixie and Phyllis in the front, and it took them just a second before they all erupted in cheers and claps, followed by a few wolf whistles.

‘’Come on, Doc! Kiss her already!’’ a voice came from the back of the crowd and with that everybody started cheering for them to kiss. They were simply happy, for both of them. They had been there when Patrick’s wife died. They had seen what her death had done to him, and to see him bloom back to himself in the last few months, it was bloody fantastic. And Shelagh? Who would be mad enough to not like the smol Scottish bean?

‘’KISS, KISS, KISS, KISS…!’’ echoed when the two of them looked at each other and with a simple nod of confidence, closed the gap between them, making their audience clap their hands together even harder!

‘’Yeah, she’s straight. I’ve lied. Get over it!’’ Patrick said when they broke apart and saw Kevin staring at them with his mouth hang open.


	33. Chapter 33

“I can’t believe he’s still mad at you. It’s been three weeks.” Trixie pointed out as she stepped out of the taxi. Trixie, Christopher, Shelagh and Patrick had decided to share after their double date in the city centre.

“I know, right!?” Patrick chuckled, still not quite understanding why Kevin had been refusing to talk to him about anything but work for the last few weeks - ever since he and Shelagh had made their relationship an official matter in front of their co-workers.

“But how would you feel, if you were him, hmm?’’ Christopher pointed out as he paid the driver, finding this entire conversation hilarious. ‘’You’ve lied and then made out with the girl he fancies in front of the entire hospital!”

“We did not make out in front of the entire hospital!” Shelagh blushed. No matter, she knew Chris was right.

“Yeah, you can kind of did, sweetie.” Trixie giggled, absolutely loving how easy it was to make her best friend embarrassed by her own actions.

“Okay fine, I’ve lied...” Patrick gave in “...but it wasn’t my fault he was there when all the kissing happened.”

“I have to say, jealousy does not become you, Dr Turner,” Trixie teased.

“Jealous? Why would I be jealous?” Patrick’s hand found Shelagh as they started walking down the street towards the girls’ apartment.

“Because someone tried to steal your girl away from you, that’s why!?” Chris laughed.

“I did not tell Kevin that Shelagh was gay, because I was jealous of him!?” Patrick insisted. “I really didn’t.” He looked at Shelagh, who only smiled at him.

“Why then?” Trixie pushed, glancing at Shelagh who could not wait to see how her boyfriend would get himself out of this whole thing.

“B-Because I...I wanted to...” Patrick stuttered. Of course, he was jealous! Someone tried to steal his girl away from him!!

“What?” Trixie and Chris asked in one voice.

“Because Shela-,... because  _ we  _ didn’t want people to know about us being together, that’s why! We wanted some privacy.” He concluded, feeling mighty proud of himself that he managed to think of an excuse for his behaviour so quickly. No matter, no one really believed him.

“Oh, is that why?!” Trixie chuckled as she reached for the keys of the apartment building in her purse.

“Yes.” Patrick said with all the confidence he could muster at this time. The last thing he wanted was for Shelagh to think he was the jealous kind.

“All right.” Trixie unlocked the door and pushed them open. “Let go with that story, then.”

“It’s the truth!”

“Sure mate, keep telling that to yourself.” Chris patted his friend on the shoulder, before stepping into the building with Trixie already in.

“Chris...” Patrick tried, but there was no use. “...Shelagh...” he turned to look at her “...I was  _ not _ jealous!”

“Sure...” Shelagh gently said as she walked past him and pulled him indoors with her. With Timothy spending the night at Granny Parker’s and with them both having the next morning off, Shelagh had asked him to spend the night at her place for a change. And he really had no reason to say no to her. He loved spending the nights at her place, sleeping in her bed, falling asleep with his nose buried into the pillow filled with her scent. She was all around him and he loved it!

**xXx**

‘’Okay, yes, maybe I was a little jealous.’’ Patrick walked into her bedroom after a long shower. Without looking at Shelagh who was already in bed, he walked to the, as it had been for a while now known as  _ his,  _ drawer and pulled it open, trying to locate the top part of his PJ’s. ‘’Where is my…?!’’ he turned around and quickly realized she was wearing it. ‘’I’ll never get that shirt back, right?’’ he chuckled as his eyes  _ ran  _ over her. She really was beautiful! How could he not be jealous of other men looking at her!

‘’Not a chance.’’ Shelagh bit her inner cheek. There was no way she would return this old thing back to him. It was hers to keep!

‘’I’m allowed to be, am I not?!’’ he carefully asked as he made his way to her.

‘’Allowed to be what?’’ she played coy, well aware of what he meant.

‘’Be jealous.’’ He forced himself to say it, pulled the covers away and got in bed next to her.

‘’You are, but I don’t see why you feel the need to be, if I’m being completely honest.’’ Shelagh calmly said and rolled into his embrace. This was it! She thought to herself, as he wrapped his warm arms around her and pulled her closer.

‘’I don’t know. I guess, I’m a little scared,’’ he admitted aloud.

‘’Scared of what?’’ She looked up and saw he really was worried about something. ‘’Patrick?’’ she called his name, when he kept quiet.

‘’Of you waking up one day and realizing I’m too old for you, too…’’

‘’Stop it, right there!’’ She pushed herself up and shut him up by placing a finger over his lips. ‘’We’ve been over this, Patrick. I don’t want anyone younger or anyone that’s not you. I love you. I want you and only you. And if Kevin or anyone else think they can make me change the way I feel about you with a few sleazy pick-up line, they have another thing coming.’’

‘’He did what?!’’ Patrick could not believe what he was hearing. ‘’What did he say to you?’’

‘’Patrick…’’

‘’No really, what did he say to you??’’

‘’Shut up.’’ Shelagh giggled, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, which shut him up in an instant. No matter, he was saying the stupidest things. She had to admit it was kind of sexy seeing him getting all worked up about this whole Kevin situation.

Pushing her legs apart, Patrick made himself comfortable as they continued making out. Forgetting about Kevin, forgetting about anything that wasn’t important for the two of them. Shelagh for some reason had chosen him, and there was no way he would let his stupid insecurities come between them.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ he whispered against the skin of her neck, when the need to breathe became too strong. ‘’I’m such an idiot.’’

‘’No, you are not.’’ Shelagh sweetly smiled and pushed a lock of his hair away from his eyes. ‘’There is nothing wrong with being a bit jealous, Patrick. I get it. I don’t enjoy looking at Mrs B staring at you every time we have lunch in the cafeteria either, but…’’

‘’What the hell are you talking about?’’

‘’Mrs B. She’s drooling all over you every single time we…’’

‘’She’s just being nice, Shelagh.’’ Patrick had to laugh. There was no way Mrs B had a thing for him. ‘’She’s in her sixties, she’s a married woman an-…’’

‘’See, you don’t see it. You don’t see the way other women look at you.’’ She smiled, ‘’You don’t even realize what a catch you are. You are amazing and funny and smart and…’’

‘’Shelagh?’’

‘’What?’’

‘’Shut up.’’ He gave her a smile before closing the gap between them. Screw Kevin, screw Mrs B, screw everybody who was brave enough to try and pull them apart. They didn’t matter. They mattered. This mattered. Her strong legs wrapped around his body mattered. Her soft lips making him gasp mattered.  _ She _ mattered.

His palm travelled up the length of her naked thigh, over her hip and her waist, not stopping until it reached its destination, making her moan into his mouth, when his thumb ran across her breast and her nipple. She was his and he was hers. And no one could change that.

Leaving her lips, Patrick nibbled his way down her neck and was about to dive under the material of the shirt she was wearing, when some weird sounding noises coming from the other side of the wall, made him pause with what he was doing.

‘’Is that?’’ Patrick looked up, already ready to burst into a set of giggles any minute now.

‘’Oh, my god!’’ Shelagh mouthed, when she realized what the weird noises were all about. Trixie and Christopher were having sex! A very loud sex! Which was getting louder and louder by the second.

‘’WE CAN HEAR YOUUU, TRIXIE!!’’ she called out, hoping Trixie would hear her over all the racket the couple was making. But what was fair, was fair. The girls had made a promise, they would keep quiet when they had their boys spending the night over. 

‘’So-sorry!’’ a breathless yell could be heard through the thin walls.

‘’Oh, for god’s sake,’’ Shelagh said under her breath, when they could still hear soft moans coming from the other side of the wall.

‘’Let them be.’’ Patrick chuckled, slipping from her hold and reached for his phone. With a few taps, he put on some soft music. They could still hear what was going on in the next room, but it was better than nothing.

‘’Does it bother you?’’ Shelagh carefully asked.

‘’No, I say let them have their fun.’’

‘’No, I mean...’’ she shook her head ‘’…does it bother you that we don’t do what they are doing right now.’’

‘’Shelagh…’’

‘’I’m being serious. We’ve been together for what? Almost five months now and…

‘’4 months and 19 days, but who’s counting.’’ He giggled, trying to make her feel better, but she insisted. ‘’Does it bother you?’’

‘’Okay…’’ He made himself more comfortable by lying on his side and then took her hand in his ‘’…it doesn’t  _ bother _ me the way you might think it would,’’ he honestly said. ‘’Yes, it gets frustrating at times and I’m not going to deny that my showers have got longer since I’ve met you, but…’’

‘’Patrick!’’ she giggled at and with him.

‘’But no, it does _not_ bother me. I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again, Shelagh. I’m not going to push you into something you are not ready for. I’m not going to make you uncomfortable with doing anything you don’t want to do. I know it might be hard for you to understand, giving what the men you’ve dated said to you, but I will wait for as long as you want me to. I’m not throwing away what we have, just because you’re not ready for something I am.’’

‘’What if I’d tell you, that I am ready?’’

‘’What?’’ she caught him completely unprepared for what she was saying.

‘’I think, I’m ready.’’ She had to smile at his expression. The poor thing had no idea what just hit him.

‘’You think, you’re ready? Ready for what?’’ He needed to be sure that he understood what she was saying to him.

‘’To take this, _us_ , to another level.’’

‘’You think?’’

‘’Okay, I know, alright! I _know_ that I want you to kiss me, hold me, love me! I want you! All of you!!’’ Shelagh almost screamed.

‘’What _now_!?’’ He panicked, a thousand scenarios going through his head.

‘’Not now, you idiot!’’ Shelagh laughed; he was so adorable sometimes. All the time, really. ‘’I’m not losing my virginity with my best friend shagging her brains out in the next room!’’

‘’Ohh…what exactly are you saying then?’’ He was a bit confused, to be honest.

‘’I’m saying that if we, in the weeks ahead, found each other in a situation we don’t want to stop, we don’t have to.’’

‘’Oh, I see.’’ For some reason, he started to feel quite nervous about the whole thing. ‘’So, you don’t want me to plan anything? You want it to just happen spontaneously?’’

‘’I-…I don’t know,’’ she admitted.

“Okay.” Patrick exhaled and smiled at her, seeing she was feeling as nervous, maybe even more, than he was. “Ammm, alright. Should we discuss birth control then?” The doctor in him once again overpowered the romantic side of him.

“I don’t think we need any,” she carefully said. She had been dreading this moment for so long, but she had to be honest with him. He needed to know the last secret she was keeping from him.

“What?” He looked at her, confused by her statement. “I mean, I did have my annual physical checkup which included all the STD tests just a month ago. I know I’m healthy, but no matter I’d love to have a baby with you, I don’t think we are there yet. Or are we?”

“Oh, Patrick...” She unexpectedly burst into tears.

“Shelagh, what’s the matter?!” He quickly pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. “Hey, hey. What’s going on?” he whispered into her hair, with no idea what just happened.

“I c-can’t...” she tried to say through hot tears, but it was hard. No matter she had known it for years, it was still hard.

“You can’t what?” he gently asked, not wanting her to feel pressured into whatever she was trying to tell him.

“I had TB when I was 16,” she finally said, hoping he would understand where she was going with any of this. And he did. Of course he did.

“Shelagh...” it made his heart ache seeing her like this. 

“I’ve completed the full treatment, but it was too late. The damn thing’s spread to my genitals, and I think you know better than me, what are my chances to ever get pregnant.” 

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Patrick kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer. He knew all about GTB. It was rare, but sometimes it still happened. In all the years of being OB-GYN, he had diagnosed only one case of GTB. A young woman, whose reproductive organs had been so badly damaged by the disease, that chance of her getting pregnant was less than zero.

“I’ll understand if this changes things between us,” she forced herself to say.

“What?!” he pulled away and made her look at him.

“Well, you might want to have another child in the future and I can’t gi-...”

“Shelagh, no. Good god, no.” He brushed away a fresh tear falling down her cheek with his thumb. “Listen to me...I love you. And nothing can change that. Nothing!” 

“Are you certain?”

“I am completely certain.” Patrick softly smiled, hoping she understood that everything she just told him could never change his feelings for her. “Plus, if we ever decide to enlarge our family, there are so many ways we can do that nowadays, and you know that. There is IVF and surrogacy. We can even adopt. Or not. We are in this together and when the right time comes, I’m 100% sure we will make the right decision.” 

“I love you, Patrick.” There wasn’t really much else to say other than that, after what he just said. He once again proved to her that he was an incredible man. And he was hers.

“And I love you.” He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss that made her feel safe and calm.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you about this before.”

“It’s not an easy thing to talk about, Shelagh.” He pulled her into a hug so she could rest her head on his chest, with one of his hands safely wrapped around her middle. “And I’m proud of you for telling me.” 

“Thank you.”

“Always.” Was the last thing he said, before they slowly drifted off to sleep in each other arms


	34. Chapter 34

‘’Are you sure you don’t mind?’’ Shelagh asked for the fourth time. She and the girls occupied the last table in a busy pub on a Saturday evening, just a week before Lucille’s wedding.

‘’Shelagh, it’s a hen party! Just go for it.’’ Trixie yelled over the table, as Val placed down a big tray with all kinds of shots on it and a bottle of water for her.

‘’Trix…’’ the last thing Shelagh wanted was to make Trixie feel uncomfortable by being surrounded with such an amount of alcohol and her drunk friends. 

‘’I’ll be okay.’’ She once again reassured her. ‘’Plus, somebody needs to look after all of you. I have a feeling this whole thing won’t end well.’’ She chuckled and pointed at the bar where more than a little tipsy Barbara was all over one of the barmen. She was nagging him to let her open the karaoke night with her singing, I’m sexy and I know it.

‘’Lucille, get your bride-to-be arse over here!!!’’ Val enthusiastically called her friend.

‘’Coming!’’ Lucille waved back, took Barbara’s hand and almost had to drag her to the table with her.

‘’Come on, girls! Bottoms up! This is going to be a looong night!’’ Val screamed from the top of her lungs while making sure that all of them had a drink in their hands.

‘’To the blushing bride!’’ Trixie laughed.

‘’TO THE BLUSHING BRIDE!’’ the rest of the girls screamed, making most of the people in the pub look at their direction and join the toast.

‘’Aghhh, that’s disgusting!’’ Shelagh made a face when she gulped down whatever poison Val had ordered for them.

‘’I know!’’ Val giggled. ‘’Another one?’’

‘’Sure.’’ Shelagh laughed. This is really going to be a long night, she thought to herself. Especially as she knew she wasn’t much of a drinker.

‘’Talking about a blushing bride…’’ Trixie scooted closer to her friend, as the rest of the gang left the table to help Barbara succeed in her karaoke mission. ‘’…how is, ‘let’s get even with Trixie by having loud sex with the dashing doctor in the next room’ going on?’’ It’d been almost three weeks since Shelagh and Patrick had decided to take things to another level and Trixie could not have been happier for both of them, when Shelagh had told her about their plan.

‘’Slowly.’’ Shelagh chuckled.

‘’Oh? Is something the matter?’’ Trixie frowned, her forehead in worry.

‘’No, no.’’ Shelagh quickly reassured her ‘’Everything is fine. It’s just, we’ve been so busy for the last couple of weeks, plus the whole thing with Patrick being asked to fill in for Dr Smith at the last minute.’’ 

They had just sat down for a lovely dinner with Tim, when Patrick had got a call to pack his bags as he was leaving for a 5 day long medical conference in France, first thing in the morning.

‘’Yes, how is Paris treating the good Doctor?’’ Trixie took a sip of her water. 

‘’Good. His plane should be landing in about twenty minutes, actually.’’ Shelagh’s face lit up as she checked the time on her phone. He’d been away all week, and no matter, they had video chatted every single evening, she had to admit it to herself, she missed him. Badly.

‘’Shouldn’t you be at the airport waiting for him, then?’’

‘’I wanted to, but he insisted I should spend the evening with you all.’’ Shelagh explained.

‘’Lucky you.’’ Trixie sarcastically laughed as she saw Val walking back to their table with another tray of weird looking drinks.

‘’Ladies! I know Trixie’s reason for not drinking, but I don’t know if you have one, Miss Mannion!’’

‘’Val, I-…’’ Shelagh tried, but there was no use. Before she knew it, Val pushed some kind of a blue cocktail into her hand and made her drink it.

‘’Oh, that’s even worse than the first one!’’ Shelagh made a face, making Trixie burst into a set of giggles.

‘’I know!’’ Val snickered in disgust. It really was bad!

‘’Shelagh! Trixie! Val!! GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE! NOW!’’ Barbara drunkenly yelled across the room.

‘’What the f-…?’’ Val mumbled under her breath as they turned around and could see Barbara and the girls standing on the little stage in the corner of the room. Ready to start the karaoke night with a big bang.

‘’COME OVER HERE!!!’’ Lucille called. Looking absolutely stunning and hilarious at the same time, while wearing a wedding dress made out of the toilet paper.

‘’COMING!!’’ Val screamed back, chugged down disgusting blue thing in one try, before turning to Shelagh and Trixie. ‘’I’m going to regret this so much in the morning!’’

‘’Oh, I know, sweetie.’’ Trixie agreed, before she let her grab hers and Shelagh’s hand, dragging them on the little stage to join the party in the next moment.

**xXx**

“I’m bloody coming!” Patrick yelled as he made his way down the stairs at four in the morning, half asleep and to be completely honest, a little bit annoyed by the fact someone had dared to wake him up at this ungodly hour.

“Just stop it already!” he raised his voice, when whoever was at the door kept pushing on the doorbell button like a maniac. 

“For god’s sake, just sto-...Shelagh?” he got a lovely surprise, when he finally unlocked the doors and flung them open, only to find the love of his life, trying her best to stand up straight in front of him. 

“Helloooo, lover boy.” Shelagh grinned, when she saw him. God knows how she’s missed him! He was so adorable, standing there in his white T-shirt and PJ’s bottom, barefoot with his stupid hair sticking in the air. 

“Shelagh, what are you doing here?” Patrick chuckled as he saw the state she was in. The last time he had spoken to her, had been a few minutes after his plane had landed. They had made plans to meet up for brunch at a little cafeteria near her flat, but apparently she couldn’t wait for that long. 

But she did not give him an answer. Simply smiling, she took a few very wobbly steps towards him, pulled him by his T-shirt and yanked him down for a kiss.

“She-...” he tried to protest, but she really didn’t give him a choice, when her tongue slipped between his lips and made him remember how much he’d missed her for the last couple of days. 

Closing the door behind her with one hand, he used the other one to steady her by wrapping it around her waist. He didn’t have to ask her if she had been drinking. The taste on her tongue told him enough to know that the hen party had been a big success.

“Take this off!” Shelagh demanded, out of breath, when they broke apart.

“What?” Patrick looked at her, surprised.

“Off! Take it off!!” she repeated with her fingers already tucked around the hem of his T-shirt, ready to pull the damn thing off of him. She was so tired of waiting for the right moment to do this! She loved him! She wanted him! And the amount of alcohol running through her body made her bold enough to think she couldn’t wait anymore. “Let’s just do it and get it over with, what do you think?!”

“Okay...” Patrick chuckled when he realized what she meant, “...how about we get you some water first, alright.” 

“No, no, no, you don’t understand , I want to hav-...” she tried to protest, but Patrick simply took her hand and pulled her with him towards the kitchen. There was nothing in this entire world that could make him have sex with her tonight. Nothing.

“Paaaatriick!” She moaned when he carefully sat her down on one of the chairs.

“Yes?” he smiled over his shoulder as he poured tap water into the largest glass he could find in the cupboard.

“Why are you like this!?” she asked while trying to kick off her high heels, but miserably failing at it. Her legs were absolutely killing her from all the dancing she and the girls had done, after they had left the pub and had continued having fun in the club down the street.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Perfect?”

“I’m far from perfect, Shelagh dear.” He walked to her with a glass of water and an aspirin in his hands. “But if I was, it would be because  _ you _ bring the best out of me.”

“You see!? Perfect!” 

“Come on, drink this.” He laughed and kneeled down, so he could be at the same eye level with her. “It will do you good, believe me.”

“I love you, Patrick Turner.” She cupped his face with both of her hands, enjoying the harsh stubble under her touch. "You and Tim!"

“We love you, too.” 

“So much!” Shelagh slurred and gave him a sloppy kiss and then another one and another one, all until her lips started to travel down his neck and forced him to once again stop her.

“Here. Drink this and then we’ll get you to bed, alright?”

“YES, THE BED!” she took the glass from him and did what he said. It took her a while to empty it but Patrick didn’t mind. He helped her out of her high heels and listened to her talking about the night she had had in the meantime. 

“And then Val kept buying these funny looking drinks for me...look, look!” She opened her mouth and showed him her tongue, which was all kind of colours but pink. “See?”

“Lovely.” Patrick chuckled. She was absolutely adorable. And for some reason it made him fall for her even more.

“...and then Kevin showed up with his mates!”

“I’m sorry, what?” Patrick’s head shot up and made him stop with what he was doing.

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s tried to kiss me, but I did not let him! A-a!!” she tried to reassure him. “The only man who can kiss these lips is YOU!” she pointed to her lips.

“HE’S TRIED TO WHAT?!” he could not believe what he was hearing! That little punk who he had mentored for years had now tried to kiss his girl!

“KISS ME!” Shelagh’s voice matched his loud one. “So, I kicked him!”

“You’ve kicked him?”

“Yes!” Shelagh proudly grinned “I’ve kicked him! Directly into his no-no area.”

“Ooohhh.” It was a very, very painful spot to be kicked in, but Patrick couldn’t care less. 

“I know, I shouldn’t but...”

“No, no it’s okay.” Patrick reassured her. “The important thing is, that you are okay.” His young colleague was going to be in so much trouble when he got his hands on him on Monday. “You are okay, are you?” he wanted to make sure.

“I am.” She nodded “I’m just tired.”

“Alright.” He placed one of his hands around her body and tucked the other one under her knees, before picking her up. They could talk about this Kevin thing in the morning. Right now, the only thing Patrick wanted was to get her in bed, so she could get some rest. 

Carrying her up the stairs and into his bedroom, he removed her glasses, got her out of her dress and helped her slip into one of his PJ’s shirts. Which was a little mission of itself, as Shelagh for some reason kept singing  _ I’m sexy and I know it  _ while trying to kiss him, during the whole time.

“This is nice.” She smiled when he finally got her in bed and wrapped his hands around her body, making sure she could not roll around and start kissing him again. He felt so warm and soft against her. And most important, he made her feel safe. "I've missed you."

“I've missed you too.” He kissed the top of her head. And it was the truth. No matter she was drunk, no matter his blood was still boiling with rage about what Kevin had tried to do; having her back in his arms after being away meant everything to him.

“Patrick?” she called his name when he thought she was already asleep.

“Yes, Shelagh?” 

“Did you get me anything from Paris?” he could hear playfulness in her voice. 

“I did, love. I sure did.” His lips broke into a soft smile when he thought about a little box, still safely tucked in his baggage. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what's in the box? 🥰😏 Any ideas...


	35. Chapter 35

“Well, look who’s up.” Patrick removed his reading glasses off of his nose and rested them on the coffee table, when Shelagh finally came downstairs around one o’clock in the afternoon.

“Good morning.” Shelagh barely whispered back. She felt like someone had run her over with a bus. Over and over again. And her head!? She could not remember when was the last time she had had such a headache. It had been probably back in her uni’ days. Damn Val! She was never going to drink again. Never!

“Morning, hmmm?” Patrick chuckled and extended his arm. “Come here.”

Taking his hand, she let him pull her down onto the couch and onto his lap, glad that he somehow understood she needed a cuddle.

After making herself comfortable in his hold, she placed a simple kiss on his clean shaven cheek and said, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” he turned his head to look at her, with no idea what she was apologizing for.

“For somehow ending up at your place in the middle of the night.” She simply explained. It had taken her a while to realize where she was, when she had woken up earlier.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” He had to laugh, it was simply too funny not too.

“I don’t really know,” She admitted. “I remember the pub and singing karaoke with Barbara and the girls. After that...nothing.” She had no idea what had been in the drinks Val had ordered, but it must have been something strong.

“I see.” He finally understood what her singing was all about.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Because, I’m sexy and I know it?” He really could not help himself.

“Oh, my god.” Shelagh buried her face into his neck in embarrassment as pieces of last night started to fill her mind.

Pub. Drink. Karaoke. Drink. More karaoke. Drink. Drink. Kebab. Drink. Club. Drink. Drink. Dan...-drink-...cing. Drink. More dancing. Drink. Holding Barbara’s hair while she had thrown up. Drink. Drink. Drink. Kevin. Dri-... _Kevin!_

“Oh, my god! Kevin!” Shelagh gasped and looked at Patrick. “I’ve kicked him in the nuts!”

“Yeah, I know. You’ve told me all about his no-no area.” He calmly said.

“HE’S TRIED TO KISS ME!”

“I know that, too.”

“Patrick, I know I don’t remember everything from last night, but I promise you, I did not...” she straightened herself up in his hold, hoping he would let her explain. No matter, she could not really remember what exactly had happened with Kevin last night.

“I know, you didn’t.” He quickly calmed her down, not wanting for her to feel bad about something that wasn’t her fault.

“How?”

“Because, you’ve told me,” he simply said. “And I talked to Trixie a few hours ago. Apparently, they had to literally drag you away from him. ” He had to admit, he was feeling really proud of her. 

“Oh, my god!”

“Oh, don’t feel bad about it.” He rubbed his hand up and down her back, when he saw how bad she felt about the whole thing. “He’s lucky I wasn’t there with you or he would be going home with more than just his balls smashed!”

“Patrick...” she thought jealous Patrick was hot, but protective Patrick was something completely different.

“Just so you know, I _will_ have a talk with him tomorrow.”

“Patrick, don’t. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.” She started to worry what might he do to Kevin and vice versa.

“Shelagh, he can’t...”

“I know he can’t.” She tried to calm him down by placing her palm on his chest. “But I think after what I did to him yesterday, he’s got the picture.”

“He better.” He smiled and placed a lingering kiss on her lips.

“How exactly have I ended up in your PJ’s?” Shelagh playfully asked when his palm caressed the side of her thigh, sending a tickling sensation all over her entire body. 

“Oh, well...” Patrick snickered “...that’s a very, very interesting story.”

“Oh, god. What have I done?”

“You...”

“What? Patrick, what?!”

“You’ve kind of tried to make me have sex with you.” He said, trying his best not to burst into laughter. But the look on her face made the whole thing harder.

“I what?”

“Well, you kind of jumped me and said you don’t want to wait anymore.”

“Ohhhh, my god!!” Shelagh jumped on her feet, feeling so ashamed of her actions.

“Shelagh, it’s okay.” He chuckled.

“Oh, god; oh, god; oh, god!” she covered her face with her hands and walked away into the kitchen.

“Shelagh,” he called after her, but she was already gone. So, he went after her.

“Shelagh...” he found her standing by the kitchen counter with her back turned to him.

“What must you think of me?”

“That you’re lovely.” He rested his hands down on the counter, trapping her between his body and the cold material.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Shelagh.” He lowered down and placed a soft kiss on her neck.

“Don’t I?” she turned her body around and looked up at him. “I’ve made such a big thing about us waiting and then after a few drinks, I show up at your doorstep in the middle of the night, begging you to have sex with me! I feel like a hooker!”

“At least you are my hooker.” He laughed, trying to make her feel better about the whole thing.

“It’s not funny!” she scolded him, but he could see her breaking a smile.

“Yeah, it kind of is.” He hooked his hands under her knees and pulled her up onto the counter.

“What is it with us and this counter?” she locked her arms and leg around him as he pulled her into his body. They had had their first real snog, which almost led to something else on this very counter.

“I think it has got more to do with what you are wearing, than the counter.” He smiled, his lips already finding its way down the side of her face and onto her neck, forcing her to tilt her head to the side, giving him even more space to nib on her skin.

“You might be right.” She moaned when his tongue slipped lower and lower down her body. Past the valley of her breasts and her belly button, stopping just for a second to unbutton the last two buttons of her shirt, so he could gain more access.

“Patriiick.” She hissed when he pressed the first kiss on top of her knickers.

“Mmm?”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Was the last thing he whispered, before he let his fingers hook into the side of the cotton material. Ready to slip it down her legs and show her how much he had missed her, a more than familiar voice made them stop with what they were about to do.

“Daaaad, I’m home!”


	36. Chapter 36

“Enter.” Kevin McNulty said when somebody knocked on his office door in the early hours of Monday morning.

“Dr Turner!” he looked up from his notes, when Patrick stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, playing completely cool, no matter he knew exactly why Patrick was there.

“I think you know.” Patrick cut to the chase, not in the mood to play games with his younger colleague. No matter, he wanted to kick his sorry ass, he had promised Shelagh he would not make a scene about what had happened between her and Kevin two days ago. 

“Oh, do I?” Kevin sarcastically smirked, but quickly stopped when Patrick took a step closer to his desk.

“Yes.” Patrick firmly said, looking him directly into his eyes. 

“Look, I don’t know what the misses’ told you, but I’m sure she misunderstood the whole thing the other night. She was quite drunk, you see.” He said without blinking. 

“Listen, Kevin.” Patrick started with a calm, steady voice. There was no way this little bastard was going to make him say or do something he might regret after. “I don’t know what you think you are doing, but I’d advise you to stop, while you still have the time to do so.” 

“Is that a threat, Dr Turner?” Kevin straightened himself up on his chair. “Because, let’s not forget who was actually hurt in the whole process.” It had been two days, and he still did not walk as a normal human being.

“Just stay away from her, alright?” Patrick warned him and was about to walk out, when Kevin smirked behind his back.

“You do know, she will get tired of you, don’t you? They always do.” He once again made himself comfortable in his office chair, when he could see how Patrick’s shoulder tensed. “I don’t really understand how could you fall for it, if I’m being honest. It’s the oldest trick in the book.”

“Dr McNulty...” Patrick said his name with a warning tone, but the idiot did not pick on it.

“They are all the same, Patrick.” He laughed, “Pathetic little midwives, who did not have enough brain cells to get into the medical school on their own, so they need to fuck a doctor to feel...”

“How dare you talk about them this way!?” Patrick finally turned around, feeling absolutely furious. 

“It’s the truth.” Kevin chuckled, enjoying the fact he made Patrick lose his temper. 

“Listen to me, you little prick...” Patrick walked back to him. “...every woman in this ward, is worth a lot more than you will ever be. And if I ever again hear you talk about any of them, the way you just did, I’ll make sure our chief finds out all about your growing love of painkillers.” He knew this kind of behaviour was beneath him, but he could not help himself. And by the way Kevin’s face suddenly went all pale, Patrick knew he hit his sensitive spot.

“I-I have no idea of what you are talking about.” He tried to stay confident, but his voice betrayed him. 

“Don’t you?” Patrick firmly asked. There was something going on with Dr McNulty in the last couple of months, and no matter he had no proof, Patrick had his suspicions of what that might be. “How’s your shoulder been lately, Kevin? Any pains?”

“Fuck you!” Kevin flew off his chair in anger and walked around his desk to face the older man.

The two of them started at each other for a few raw seconds, none of them really sure what will happen next. 

“Get some help, Dr McNulty.” Patrick finally opened his mouth. “Or I’ll make sure you do.”

“Screw you, Turner!” Kevin spat when Patrick turned around, ready to walk away. “You and your Scottish whore!”

“What did you call her?” Patrick froze in place.

“You’ve heard me.” Kevin grinned, feeling mighty proud of himself. “She might act all innocent, but I know a whore when I se-...” was all he was able to say, before Patrick’s fist made him shut up.


	37. Chapter 37

“Shelagh?” Patrick tried to make her speak to him, but it was like she didn’t hear him. Ever since she had found out what had happened between him and Kevin, and had come to take care of his battle wounds, she had not spoken a word to him.

“Shela-...ouch!” He cried in pain, when she harshly pressed a gauze ball onto his open wound. She was upset with him, and he knew it.

“Look, I know...” He started again, but her intense gaze made him shut up and let her take care of his split lower lip and bruised cheek and knuckles.

Letting her work in quiet, Patrick sat still like a little boy, hoping, if not praying, she would ever speak to him again. He knew, he had made a huge mistake with punching Kevin; but boy, oh, boy he had enjoyed every second of it.

After applying a thin layer of antibiotic cream and bandaging all of his wounds, Shelagh stepped away from him and started cleaning everything up into a kidney dish.

‘’Shelagh…’’ Patrick stood up and tried again ‘’…you’ll need to talk to me at some point, you know?’’ His eyes followed her across the room to the little sink, where she went to wash her hands, after removing the gloves.

‘’Shel…’’

“What would you like me to say, Patrick?” she finally opened her mouth, when she felt him standing behind her.

“Anyth-...”

“You’ve broken his nose! His nose, Patrick!!” she turned around and looked up to him. The tone in her voice told him she was mad, but her eyes were saying something completely different. But he had no idea what. ‘’What would you have done, if Fred wouldn’t pull you two apart, hmm? Kill him?’’

‘’What? No, of course not! Shel-…’’ he tried to take her hand in his and explain everything to her, but Shelagh pulled away.

‘’What will you tell Timothy, when he sees you like this tonight? Have you thought about that?’’ she crossed her hands over her chest and kept looking at him. When Trixie had come to fetch her and had told her Patrick had gotten hurt, she could literally feel how her heart had stopped beating for a second.

‘’The truth! I’ll tell him the truth!’’ Patrick honestly replied.

‘’Oh, really?’’

‘’Yes!’’ he placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘’Shelagh, you don’t understand. The things he said about you…’’

‘’I don’t care what he said, Patrick!’’ Shelagh walked away from his hold, making sure there was some space between them. She could see in his eyes that her behaviour was hurting him, but she simply could not be touched by him right now. ‘’I don’t care if he cursed you or me or whoever. You’re old enough to know, you should use your words, not your fists!!’’

‘’The way you have used them the other day?’’ the words left his mouth before he could stop himself.

‘’Wha-…?’’ she could not believe what she was hearing!

‘’Shelagh, I’m sorry,” he quickly started saying, aware he crossed the line. ‘’I wasn’t thinking.’’

‘’No, you weren’t,” she replied with fresh tears in her eyes. ‘’That’s the problem! Do you even realize how I felt when Trixie came and told me you were hurt!? Or seeing your face being covered with blood?! You can lose your job over this, Patrick! You can lose everything you’ve worked for! And for what? Because of whatever that little shit said to you?!’’

‘’Shelagh…’’ he hated seeing like this. Hated himself for making her feel this way. Stepping closer, he reached for her, and to his surprise she did not back away this time. He could see she was scared for him. Scared of what the consequences of his actions could be. ‘’I’m sorry,’’ he honestly said. ‘’I’ll fix it, okay? Just don’t be mad, okay?’’

‘’That’s the thing, Patrick,” she sadly scoffed. ‘’I’m not mad…I’m disappointed,” she added, reached for the kidney dish on the table behind him and without saying another word,walked out.


	38. Chapter 38

“So,...” Fred walked out onto a little balcony, where Patrick had had a habit to disappear, when he was feeling stressed. “...what’s the verdict? Are they letting you go?” 

“No.” Patrick sadly chucked while toying a half smoked cigarette between his fingers. “But they are indeed asking me to take some personal leave. Politely, that is.”

“For how long?”

“Two weeks. Maybe more. It depends.”

“On what?” Fred leaned himself on the railing, next to his friend.

“On how good I’ll do in my anger management class.”

"Your what?”

“You’ve heard me.” Patrick took a long puff.

“What about him?” 

“Nothing.” Patrick finally turned his head and faced him.

“Oh, lad.” Fred hissed, when he saw Patrick’s bruised face, which was already changing its colour -from pink to all kinds of shades of blue and green. 

“Considering, I threw the first punch...”

“Well, that’s not fair!” Fred got upset.

“Yes, well.” Patrick finished his smoke and put the cigarette out on a little ashtray in the corner of the balcony. “I don’t really care about fairness right now, if I’m being honest,” he sadly said. 

“What do you mean?”

“Shelagh.”

“Oh! She’s angry, hmm?”

“Worse.” Patrick reached into his inner pocket and pulled a brand new cigarette pack out.

“She’s disappointed.” He removed the plastic off of the pack and opened it. “And so am I. I should have walked out on him, when I’ve had the chance to.”

“Why didn’t you then?” No matter it had been Fred, who had pulled the two men apart, he still had no idea what the whole thing was about. And he knew Patrick, it wasn’t in his nature going around breaking people's noses.

“He said some things.” Patrick carefully rolled another cigarette between his lips, before lighting it. His entire face hurt, but right now, smoking was the only thing that made him feel in control.

“What things?”

“Things.” 

“Things about Shelagh?” Fred struck a nerve.

“Fred, it doesn’t matt-...” Patrick got annoyed, not in the mood to talk about the whole thing.

“It does when it makes you break noses.”

Staring into the distance, Patrick exhaled the smoke out of his nostrils before calmly saying, “Kevin, he... he treats women the same way my old man did, when I was child. I can’t count the times when I’ve come home from school to yelling and cursing. My father...he wasn’t a good man.” Patrick explained. It’d been years since he talked about his dad and things he had done to his family. “The things he said and done to my mum. I was only a child at the time. I couldn’t do a thing to protect her from him, but...I’ve made myself a promise that I would never be like him. Never let anyone treat people like he had. Especially women.” His mates had often made fun of him for being too shy and soft when it came to the opposite sex, but Patrick didn’t care. He had never cared about being an alpha male and all that crap. All he had cared about, was to make sure the woman he was with, had felt safe and respected. “Women, I love.”

“Patrick...”

“So, when Kevin called Shelagh a Scottish whore, I’ve kind of lost it.” He admitted, no matter how hard it was, and brushed a tear away with the back of his hand.

“Have you told Shelagh about any of this?”

“No.”

“You should.” Fred insisted, “Her dad. He drank a lot and when he did, his tongue was sharper than a razor.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons I can’t tell her, Fred.” Patrick almost cried, “ I don’t want her to look at me and see...”

“She won’t, you know she won’t.” Fred fatherly wrapped his arm around Patrick’s shoulder. 

“Maybe.” Patrick exhaled, feeling his entire body shaking. Screw anger management class, it was time to call his old therapist and make an appointment. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She can’t even look at me right now, nevertheless talk to me.”

“Give her some time. The poor thing was shaking like a leaf, when she found out what has happened to you.” Fred confirmed what Patrick already knew. 

“What should I do until then?”

“I have an idea, but we’ll need to talk to Trixie first.”


	39. Chapter 39

It’s been almost 10 hours since Shelagh had heard from Patrick. After their fight in his office, she had spent the day in the delivery room, focusing only on the labouring mother and baby. And it had done her good. It had given her time to calm down and reflect on everything that had happened.

Yes, she was disappointed, but she knew they would need to talk about everything that had happened. They were a couple. She loved him and she knew he loved her too.

She had stopped by his office after her shift, but he had already left the hospital. Checking her phone, she could see he had left her a single text, saying he was ready to talk whenever she was ready to.

But was she ready? She had spent her entire way home thinking about it, and by the time she had unlocked the front door, she had come to a conclusion – she’d have a quick shower and get herself to Patrick’s. There was no point in dragging it out.

However, pushing the door open and stepping into the flat, Shelagh realized she wouldn’t be able to realize her plan. ‘’Wha-…?’’ she whispered to herself when she saw the hall was being illuminated by countless candles safely placed into little jars, with red petals scattered along with them. And then…there was him.

Patrick was standing at the end of the hall, with his shirt’s sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his hands tucked into his suit trouser pockets, giving her a soft smile, filled with both love and repentance.

‘’What’s all this?’’ She closed the door behind her and placed her keys into a small bowl by it.

‘’My way of apologizing,” he simply said as he made his way towards her. It had taken a little or almost nothing for him and Fred to convince Trixie to help him to do this. No matter, Trixie had not been pleased with what Patrick had done, she knew he and her best friend had to talk. The sooner, the better.

‘’Oh?’’

‘’Yes.’’ He made his way to her. ‘’I’ve run you a bubble bath.’’

‘’You have?’’

‘’Yes,’’ he nodded, feeling relieved she didn’t ask him to leave the moment she’d walked in. ‘’I thought you’d need one after the day we’ve had.’’

‘’You thought right,’’ Shelagh simply said, looking at him. Half of his face was bruised, but his eyes were saying, if not screaming, how sorry he was about everything that had happened. ‘’And what happens after the bath?’’

‘’We have dinner and…talk.’’

‘’Dinner?’’

‘’Yes.

‘’Really?'’ she lightly chuckled, and it made his heart sing seeing her like this.

‘’It’s just chicken and some veggies, so don’t get your hopes too high.’’ Patrick laughed, well aware of what she and his son thought about his cooking skills. ‘’So, what do you think?’’

‘’Alright…’’ she agreed after a few moments of silence, ‘’…but under one condition.’’

‘’Which is?’’

‘’You join me.’’ Her hands reached out and popped one of the buttons on his shirt open. He was about to say no but was smart enough to understand she was offering him an olive branch. The same way he was, by planning this whole evening.

“It would be my pleasure,” he said at the end, took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her palm. 

“Is Trixie...?”

“She’ll spend the night at Chris’s,” he cut her. 

“And Tim?”

“He’s with the Buckle’s. Reggie is visiting, so...” It was very nice from both Trixie and Fred to make sure he and Shelagh got some alone time to talk things through. 

“Come.” Shelagh took his hand and pulled him into the bathroom with her. Like the hall, it was filled with little candles and petals. 

“May I?” Patrick asked as she started undressing herself. Looking up, Shelagh gave him a shy nod, but quickly started working on his clothes at the same time. 

They slowly and quietly undressed each other, and no matter they did not yet sleep together, both of them did not feel the least embarrassed by their nakedness.

Their eyes stayed locked on each other the entire time. No peeking, no ogling, no nothing. Just his dark eyes glued to her blue ones. This wasn’t about sex, it was about intimacy and trust. Which in a way felt even more precious to them. 

Finally undressed, it was Patrick who got into the bath first. Making himself comfortable he helped her get in. 

“This is nice.” Was all she said when she rested her back against his chest.

“It is.” He kissed the top of her head, glad their day was coming to its end like this. With her tucked between his legs while sharing a warm bubble bath. It could have been way worse, and they both knew it.

They spent the next few minutes in a complete silence. Enjoying the warmth radiating from the water and their bodies. It was nice. It was calm. It was home. 

“I’m sorry.” Patrick was the first to say, after he pressed a kiss on the back of her neck.

“I’m sorry for losing my temper.” _Kiss_. “I’m sorry for saying what I’ve said to you in my office.” _Kiss_. “I’m sorry for scaring you.” _Kiss_. “I’m sorry for making you feel the way I did.” _Kiss_. “I’m sorry,” he apologized as honestly as he knew how. ‘’I know that all of this might be unforgivable, but…’

‘’Who is it who decides what is forgivable and unforgivable?’’ Shelagh finally spoke. She didn’t have to see him to know how sorry he really was. She could hear it in his voice. And to be completely honest with herself, she knew she’d been a little harsh with him back in his office. 

“I don’t know.” He buried his nose into her damp hair, “But I do hope you know that I’m not that man, Shelagh. I don’t go around hurting people. And I’d never, never, hurt you or Timo-…’’ his voice broke.

‘’Oh, Patrick…’’, her stomach dropped, feeling ashamed that she had made him think, she was scared of him doing anything like that to the people he loved.

Getting on her knees, she turned herself around, her naked body safely covered in bubbles, and faced him. Cupping his cheeks she made him look at her, ‘’…I know you wouldn’t. It never even crossed my mind to think you could ever hurt us.”

It almost made him cry to hear her say that. “Thank you.” He said at the end and let her kiss him. 

“My father...” he started when she once again slipped down between his legs, and told her the same thing he had told Fred that morning. And in the end, she understood, of course, she did.

“I’m sorry.” She honestly said, when he was done explaining what had made him punch Kevin in the first place.

They had never really talked about their parents. Shelagh’s were both dead and all that Patrick had shared so far was that his mum was living in a small flat back in Liverpool. He had never heard from his father again, once he had moved away after the divorce.

But with her father being what he had been, Shelagh completely understood where his pain, fear, and insecurity were coming from.

“I’m sorry, too.” He once again apologized, before they slipped back into a comfortable silence. 

It was nice being held by him like this, Shelagh thought to herself. It made her feel safe. In fact so safe, that she almost dozed off in his arms, but Patrick had other ideas.

It happened so slowly, that Shelagh didn’t even notice at first. Not until his left hand slowly, but persistently, started moving down her front.

Brushing past her breast, it made its way down onto her belly, lightly squeezing it in the process.

''Patrick?'' She opened her eyes when she felt his fingers moving dangerously low, but all he did was gently whisper into her ear, “Just relax.”

So she did. Resting her head back onto his chest, she let him continue what he had started.

“Close your eyes.” He once again whispered as he placed a soft kiss on her temple.

Listening to him, Shelagh closed her eyes and automatically focused only on his touch. She could feel him run his middle finger around her belly button a couple of times. And before she knew it, his fingers travelled lower and lower slowly teasing her, before finally spreading her folds apart.

“Ahhhh...” his touch literally made her suck the air out of her lungs. Thank god for the waterproof bandages! She thought to herself.

''Shelagh?'' his hot breath tickled the back on her neck, just as his right hand slipped onto her belly, holding her steady against him.

''Mmm?'' She almost purred while his fingers slowly circled around her center, making her melt in his hands.

''I love you.'' He groaned as his lips latched onto the skin of her shoulder.

''Mmmm, I-I love you, too.'' Was all she was able to moan back, before he made her jump in surprise as he, without any warnings, increased his touch on her. He let his long fingers run over her silky bundle of nerves again and again and again. He toyed with her, changed the pressure and the speed, trying his best to show her what she meant to him.

But it wasn’t enough. Covering his hand with hers, Shelagh boldly showed him where and how she wanted to be touched by him. And he simply followed her lead.

As their hands slowly made magic beneath the water, Patrick took a second to look at her. Really looked at her. With her eyes closed and her breath getting more and more shallow and hard, she looked like a goddess to him.

“Patriiick....” her legs clenched around their hands, as the first set of heat buzzed through her entire body. But he didn’t let go of her. Instead, he ran his hand from her firm belly up her body, over her swollen breast and her long neck. Using his finger he tilted her chin closer to his, and placed a slow, but hungry, kiss on her eager lips.

The combination of his touch and his lips made Shelagh’s head spin. He was everywhere, knowing exactly what and how to do it, to make her feel like this. And she loved him even more for it.

''Ohhhh…'' her hips bucked up, causing the water to spill over the edge of the tub.

''Easy.'' He chuckled and once again wrapped his free hand around her middle and held her down. He wanted to do this, as slowly as it was possible. 

''Mhhm.'' She nodded biting her lower lip, really trying her best to remain in control of her own body. But it was simply too much for her. Especially when he let his fingers slip further down to her entrance, lightly stroking the soft flesh the entire time.

“Shelagh?” He proudly grinned, when he saw that a deep wrinkle appeared between her closed eyes. A clear sign she was trying her best to concentrate on what he was doing.

''I, I...'' she knew what she wanted to say to him, but couldn’t. My god, he was making her feel so much at once.

Every nerve in her body was getting ready to explode any second now. And the combination of his fingers slowly entering her, and the pressure of the heel of his palm on her clit was simply too good to be true. 

She was close. And they both knew it. Her entire body was on the verge of simply giving up into the sweet temptation, but it didn’t feel right. Not with his hardness pulsing against her back, eager to join her pleasures. They should be doing this together. As one.

“Wait!” she gasped and used the last drops of willpower she had in herself, to still his movements.

“What?!” Patrick asked, with no idea what just happened. She was so close to crumbling in his hold, he could taste it. So, why stop?!

“I...” she looked up out of breath, “...we...”

“What?!”

“B-bed, now!” She demanded and blushed even more when she saw him realize what she meant. 

“Are you sure?”

“God, yes!”


	40. Chapter 40

’’God, yes!’’

Patrick had no idea how in the world he had managed to get himself up and out of the bath so quickly, but before he knew it, he was almost running down the hall towards her bedroom, with her laughing in his arms.

Kicking the door open, he walked into her room and gently laid her on the middle of her bed. ‘’Lights off or on?’’ he asked, as he looked down at her naked body illuminated by street lights coming through the window. No matter she looked absolutely breath-taking just as she was, he wanted her to feel as comfortable as it was possible. He knew this should be about both of them, but the reality was she has never been with anyone. He was going to be her first, and Patrick would rather die than make this about him and not her.

‘’Patrick?’’

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’Just come here,’’ Shelagh simply said and she didn’t have to ask him twice. Laying along her, his arm found its way around her waist and pulled her into his body. They were skin to skin, her wet body pressing against his, and it really took all the willpower he had in him, not to simply jump her.

‘’Are you sure about this?’’ he once again asked, wanting to make sure this was really it. It was important for him to know she felt safe. But she didn’t answer him, not the way he expected her to, anyway. Taking his hand, she guided it down her body and made him cup her. Not taking her eyes off of him the entire time.

‘’Oh, god…’’ he hissed and swallowed hard. She was still wet, still ready for him. And by the grin she was giving him, Patrick knew this was it. They were going to make love for the very first time, and he was so glad they had the flat to themselves.

‘’Ahhhh…’’ she moaned, when he ran his fingers over the sensitive flesh, making the butterflies in her lower belly come back to life again.

‘’You are so beautiful.’’ Was the last thing he said before he kissed her pink lips. Slowly, with the pace of old lovers, they let their lips and tongues do the talking. Before Shelagh even noticed, Patrick rolled between her legs and made her lock them around him. She could feel him rock hard against her, but he wasn’t in a hurry. They had all night to do this.

‘’Is this okay?’’ he whispered as his lips left hers and started making their way down her neck.

‘’Mhm,’’ was all she was able to say back and closed her eyes. This was only the beginning and he was already making her feel so good. First in the bath and now here, lying on top of her, trying his best not to put too much weight onto her, no matter they both knew she could take him.

‘’Good.’’ She could feel him smile against her skin as he went lower and lower down her body. And at this point all she could do was to bury her fingers into his dark hair, safely anchoring herself under him.

With her eyes closed, she could feel, really feel, his every single touch and kiss. His teeth and tongue making red love bites along the length of her left collarbone, before moving down between the valley of her breasts. Sucking on the skin and then latching on her erect pink nipple.

‘’Patriiiiick…’’ her back arched up, making him loudly moan at her unexpected movement. But it only encouraged him to make her feel even better than she already felt. Sneaking his hand up from between their bodies, he cupped the other breast and for the very first time made her hips roll against him.

She had no idea how good she felt, Patrick thought to himself as he rolled his tongue around her nipple, before closing his lips around it, gently sucking. Gently making her fall apart in his hold. Gently making her ready for better things to come.

‘’More?’’ he looked up after he gave the same attention to her other breast, and saw her with her eyes closed, her lips shaped into a little O. She would never be not beautiful, he thought to himself. Not now, not in a million years.

‘’Pleassse,’’ she impatiently begged. She loved him for taking things slow, but good god, if he wasn’t going to do something about the increasing throbbing between her legs, she was going to force him!

Moving down, Patrick’s teeth marked the soft skin on her firm belly before nudging her legs to rest on his shoulders. He wanted her. Badly. There wasn’t a single thing he would rather do at this moment but to fully sink into her, showing her how much she really meant to him. But he couldn’t, not yet anyway. Not before he made sure her body was truly ready for this.

His split lower lip was burning from all the kissing they’ve done, but it didn’t, not for a second, stop him from doing what he was planning to do. Nothing and no one could stop him from giving her what she deserved – the best. The best of everything that was in his power to give her. And more.

‘’Ahhhh…’’ Shelagh almost jumped when he closed his lips around her swollen clit, making her feel alive and powerless at the same time. God, she loved him so much! More and more by each passing second, really.

All that filled the room in the next few minutes was her soft moans mixed with his effort to make her crumble under him. She was so close, and they both knew it. All she needed was for him to add his fingers into the game and she would be undone.

‘’Pat-Patriiiick…’’ she begged and he knew exactly what she wanted from him. And after teasing her for so long, he was more than happy to give it to her. Slipping his hand from underneath her bottom, he was about to make her world explode, when a loud beeping sound filled the entire flat.

‘’What’s that?” he stopped everything he was doing and was about to do and looked up, evidence of her arousal on his face.

‘’W-Why have you stopped?!’’ Shelagh opened her eyes and looked down at him, feeling quite annoyed by a sudden pause.

‘’What is that?’’ he once again asked, and it took her a while to fully understand what he was talking about.

‘’Am…it’s, it’s…the smoke alarm,’’ she said at last when her brain finally had the chance to process the sound that filled their ears.

‘’Oh, my god!’’ Patrick was on his feet in the next moment. Pulling on his clean boxers from the top of the pile of laundry in the corner of the room, he ran out.

‘’PATRICK?!’’ Shelagh called after him, with no idea what just happened. Scrambling out of the bed, she put on her robe and went after him.

‘’What’s going on?’’ she stepped into the kitchen, which was at this point filled with grey smoke.

‘’The bloody chicken! We’ve forgotten about it!’’ Patrick yelled, already trying his best to put the fire out.

‘’Can you shut the damn thing off!?’’ Shelagh called as she went to open the window.

‘’I’ll try!’’ Patrick yelled back and got himself on the table to try to turn it off, once the fire was out. But it was kind of all for nothing. Because just as he finally managed to quiet the room, a loud bang on the door made them think the fire department already had gotten a message that something inside the flat was on fire.

But it wasn't them.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weshallc! HVALA! 🥰💛

“It's never going to happen, is it?” Shelagh said when Patrick walked into her bedroom, freshly showered.

“What do you mean?” he looked at her while pulling a simple white cotton t-shirt over his head.

“This, us. We’ll never have sex.” She almost moaned, feeling frustrating about the whole thing, “I’ll die a virgin.”

“Oh, don’t say that.” He chucked, killed the main light and made his way to the bed.

“I know it’s silly,...” she pulled the covers away so he could lay down next to her.

“It is.” Patrick agreed and pulled her into his body, her back pushing onto his front as he wrapped his arms around her, the moment he made himself comfortable next to her.

“Maybe we’re cursed.” She wiggled herself further into his hold. He was warm and no more smelt of smoke and burned chicken.

“Shelagh...”

“I’m being serious.” She turned her head to the side so she could look at him “Every single time we try to do anything, something happens.”

“That’s not true.” He tried to calm her down, no matter he knew exactly how she was feeling.

“Isn’t it?” Shelagh chuckled. “First it was me not being ready, then Phyllis walked in on us...” she started listing “...and don’t even let me start on Tim! I love that boy as if he was my own, but his timing...oh, my god!”

“He’s got that from me.” Patrick laughed, realizing she was making a point. “Don’t forget about the chicken.”

“Don’t even...” she shook her head. They had been so close to finally, finally, making love and that fucking bird had to ruined everything!

“I don’t think we are cursed,” Patrick seriously said and placed a kiss in the crook of her neck.

“What then? Because, I’m seriously beginning to think I should have become a nun, when I had the chance to.” she wanted to say in all seriousness but Patrick could hear a hint of playfulness in her voice.

“I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders, “Maybe the universe is trying to say we are not ready for sex, yet.”

“Oh, I don’t care what the universe is trying to say! Because, believe me, I’m ready! I’m more than ready!” Shelagh quickly said, making him laugh. It was funny really. In the last 28 years she had no problems with waiting. But everything changed when Patrick had walked into her life. Everything!

"I know you are." He placed his hand flat on her stomach, gently running his fingers up and down. It meant the world to him that she wanted him the same way he wanted her. "I am too."

“That damn chicken.”

“I believe this one is on me, not the chicken,” Patrick admitted. He had simply forgotten about it. But who could blame him? He had had naked Shelagh Mannion in his arms, willing to make him the happiest man alive!

“You are not allowed to step into the kitchen ever again, Patrick Turner!” Shelagh turned around in his hold and buried her face into his neck. “You hear me!?” she playfully dug a finger into his ribs, making him giggle.

“I promise.” Patrick smiled and kissed the top of her head. They knew they could have continued with what they had started the minute the firemen had left, but the moment had been gone. There was no point in forcing it, no matter how much they both had wanted it to happen. It wasn't their time, not yet anyway.

“I hate this.” Her hot breath tickled his skin.

“Me too.”

“Maybe we should just listen to drunk me and get it over with already,” she joked.

“No way.” Patrick chuckled, finding her frustration a bit amusing. “Listen to me...” he tucked her finger under her chin and made her look up at him “...it will happen, okay? I don’t know when, but it will.”

“I know. I just...”

“It will happen and it will be amazing, because we are amazing.” He chuckled, understating her completely.

“I love you.”

“Always.” He gave her one of his grins that somehow always made her feel better. “But until it doesn’t happen...” he playfully added.

“What are you doing?” she asked, when his head disappeared under the covers.

“Giving you something to look forward to.” Was the last thing she heard him say, before he made her scream his name into the night.


	42. Chapter 42

_ 'Meet me in the car park _ 😏❤️' Shelagh read when she checked her phone after the end of a long night shift. It instantly made her feel better to see his name on the screen, no matter she had no idea what he was up to. With her working two night shifts in a row, she hasn’t seen him since Tuesday morning - the morning after their little try of sleeping together went so, so horribly wrong. 

“What are you smiling at?” Trixie asked, as she walked into the changing room ready to start her own shift. She saw her friend staring into her phone with the biggest smile written all over her face.

“It’s Patrick. He’s sent me a text.”

“Ohh, I did not know the old Doc was into sexting.”

“Not that kind of text!” Shelagh giggled, as she removed her blue uniform, not able to even imagine Patrick doing that. He was far too old-fashioned for that. 

“Spoilsport.” Trixie softly giggled. “What then?”

“It’s weird really. He wants me to meet him in the car park."

“Why?” 

“No idea.” Who knew what he was up to! With so much time on his hands, it could literally be anything.

“Go on then,” Trixie encouraged her.

“I’m going, I’m going!” Shelagh pulled on her jacket. She had thought she was going to head home and take the longest nap, before coming back to the hospital, but apparently her lovely boyfriend had some other ideas. And no matter how tired she was, she had to admit she was looking forward to seeing what Patrick’s plan was.

“Have fun!” 

“Thanks!” Shelagh called already out of the room.

With her gone, Trixie quickly pulled her phone out of her purse and tapped on a name. “She’s on her way.”


	43. Chapter 43

By the way Shelagh skipped the stairs leading to the car park, no one would have believed what a busy night she had left behind her. One complicated birth followed by three endless hours of working side by side with Doctor McNulty. No matter he had kept his distance, discussing only what had been necessary, Shelagh could see the smugness written all over his face. Without Patrick being there, he had taken over most of his patients and felt incredibly cocky about the whole thing.

Finally reaching the end of the staircase, Shelagh pushed on the door and walked outside. It took her a few glances over the half empty car park, before she spotted him. And when she did nothing else mattered.

He was leaning on the side of his car with his hands tucked deep in the pockets, looking incredibly dashing...and staring directly back at her.

“What’s all this?” She asked when she finally reached him, with no idea what he was up to. She was supposed to meet him and Tim in the pub near his place for dinner, before heading back to the hospital, but apparently he could not wait that long.

“Hello to you too.” He pushed himself up straight and instantly leaned in for a kiss, his arms pulling her into a hug at the same time.

“Hi.” She purred against his lips, “You smell nice.”

“Well, that’s always good to know.” He chuckled at her weird observation. But it was the truth. After almost a 12 hour long shift, the smell of soap and his aftershave combined with the warmth radiating from his body, made Shelagh feel at home. “Hard shift?”

“Something like that.” She rested her head on his chest and sneaked her hands between their bodies. Growing up she had always hated the fact she wasn’t as tall as the other girls, but standing in Patrick’s bear hug made her thankful she was only 5ft 2.

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.” She shook her head and looked up again. There was no way she would start their day with talking about Kevin. “Just one of those nights, I guess.”

“Is there anything I can do to make it better?” He could see she was tired, but how could she not be? Midwifery was not an easy job to do, mentally or physically. 

“There is.”

“Ohh?” No matter she was exhausted, Patrick could still hear the playfulness in her voice. “And what’s that?”

“How about a kiss...or two?”

“Let me see what I can do...” he covered her smiling lips with his own. It was a slow, gentle kiss, filled with so much goodness. The tips of their tongues teased each other, but did not take it further.

“Better?” Patrick rested his forehead against her, when they broke apart. 

“Not yet.” She giggled. “I’m a bit hungry too.” She had no idea when was the last time she had had something to eat.

“It is your lucky day, Miss Mannion.” He let go of her and opened the car door. Leaning in, he pulled out a paper bag and a small travel cup. “Here you go."

“Patrick, you shouldn’t hav-...” she tried to protest, but he insisted. It was far from much. Just a cup of tea and some…

“Chelsea buns!” Shelagh almost jumped from joy, when she opened the paper bag and saw what her wonderful man had gotten her. 

“Thank you!” she gave him another kiss before taking a sip of a warm tea.

“Shall we?” Patrick asked with his mouth full of sweet dough that Shelagh has insisted on sharing with him.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she made her way around the car to the passenger’s side. No matter she loved the fact he had surprised her, she still had no idea what his plan was.

“Nowhere in particular.” He lied and got into the car with her. There was no way he was going to tell her what this whole thing was about. Not yet, anyway.

And at his luck, Shelagh did not question him. Especially after she has filled her stomach with her warm breakfast and soon fell asleep while they got stuck in the morning rush hour on the busy London streets.


	44. Chapter 44

Shelagh had no idea when and how she had managed to fall asleep. But when she eventually did wake up, it had taken her a few moments to realize that the images of the English countryside running before her eyes, weren’t dreams anymore.

“Patrick?” she called his name as she stretched her sleepy body back into life.

“Mhm?”

“Where are we?” She pulled herself into a better sitting position and kept her eyes on him. 

“In the car,” he seriously said, not taking his gaze off of the narrow road taking them to their final destination.

“Patrick Edward Turner, what have you done?” With a cheeky grin spread along his face, Shelagh could not help but to smile at him. She had thought he was driving them back to his place for a long comfy cuddle, but apparently she was wrong. So, so wrong.

“You’ll see.” He removed his hand away from the gear stick and took one of hers in hold. Still not looking at her, he pulled it to his lips and placed a kiss on the warm skin.

“Patrick?”

“Shelagh?” he playfully replied.

“Oh, come on!” She laughed at him. No matter half of his face was still bruised and covered in all shades of blue and green, she had to admit she hadn’t seen him look so relaxed and unworried for a while now. Maybe him punching Kevin and getting some time off as the result, wasn’t that bad after all.

“We are almost there, my dear.” Was all he calmly said back.

She could easily check her phone and find out exactly where they were, but the look on his face told her enough to drop the whole thing and simply trust him.

“Here we are.” Patrick announced after 5 minutes and stopped his car at the end of a dead end road.

“Okay...” Shelagh got even more confused as they were in the middle of nowhere. All she could see was a wooden kissing gate leading into the forest and that was it.

Turning the car off, Patrick finally turned to her “Your phone, please.”

“My phone?”

“Yes.” He extended his hand and patiently waited, giving her no choice but to actually listen to him.

“Are you ever going to tell me what this is all about?” She watched him turn her phone off and place it into the glove compartment.

“Soon.” Patrick gave her a quick peck on her lips. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?!” There was literally nowhere to go! “Patrick!?” She tried to stop this madness, but he was already out of the car.

Opening the boot, he pulled something out and walked to her side of the car.

“Put these on.” He laughed at her expression, when he saw the way she was staring back at him.

“Wellies?"

“Yeah.” He nodded, handing her the dark green boots before once again disappearing to the back of the car.

“Is that my...?” she asked when she saw him approaching her with two little backpacks, with his already on his back and hers in his hand.

“It is.” He smiled, enjoying the fact he was making her confused and curious at the same time.

“But how...?” 

“Trixie.” Patrick chuckled and helped her with putting the backpack on her back.

“She knows about this?!” 

“Kind of.” He quickly replied while he went to close the boot.

“Well, that’s not fair, is it?!” Shelagh tried to pout, no matter she knew it wasn't working. “She was my friend first, you know?”

“Come.” Patrick locked the car, took her hand in his and pulled her with him through the kissing gate and down the muddy path deep into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR 2o21 my lovely readers! 🥰🎉🎊


	45. Chapter 45

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Shelagh teased about 10 minutes into their walk.

“Yes.” Patrick laughed and kept walking, his hand still holding onto hers as they slowly, but steadily, made their way down the muddy path.

“How sure?”

“Quite sure.” He looked at her and could see she was getting a little impatient with him, no matter she had a big smile on her face. But who could have blamed her? He had whisked her away without any further notice and had insisted on not telling her where they were going ever since.

“You don’t need to look so smug about it, you know?” She playfully nudged him into the ribs, when she noticed a hint of a smirk appearing in the corner of his mouth. “What if I don’t like it?”

“Oh, you won’t only like it. You’ll absolutely love it,” he confidently said, without a single drop of doubt. 

“You can’t know that.” The tone of her voice challenged him.

“I can and I do.” Patrick chuckled, "I know exactly what you like.”

“Oh, do you?”

“Yes.”

“Prove it!” She pulled on his hand and stopped them in place.

Tilting his head, Patrick silently ran his eyes over her, before he let go of her hand and cupped her face. Leaning closer, his lips captured her lower lip and gently sucked on it. Making her melt into his arms, before his tongue teased its way into her mouth and made her head spin.

She could feel his free palm running down the side of her body, not stopping until it reached its destination. Gently squeezing her buttock, he pulled her further into his body, making her gasp into his mouth in the process. 

“I know you, Shelagh Mannion.” He whispered against her mouth, “I know the way you like to be kissed...” his lips moved up her jaw towards her ear, “...and touched...” his fingers dug deeper into her flesh, “...I know you secretly love the way my stubble feels against your naked skin...”

“I do.” She giggled, her eyes still closed, with no idea how he knew that. But he was right, there was something raw in the simple act and she loved it!

“...like the way my mouth feels around your nipple...” she could feel his hand slipping up her body and under her unzipped jacket, all the way onto her breast, “...slowly sucking and...”

“Patriiick...” she literally groaned when she felt his thumb circle around the soft flesh of the swell of her breast.

“... _ biting _ .” He sweetly smiled, well aware what he was doing to her.

“I know the face you make, when you are about to come...”

“Shut up!” she almost barked and pulled him into a kiss, silencing him with her eager lips and tongue. They stood in the middle of the forest with their legs ankle deep into the mud, making out like there was no tomorrow. But she couldn't care less!

“But I also...” Patrick had to take a deep breath after she was done with him “...I also know you like to tuck your cold feet under mine to warm them...” he rested his forehead against hers “...and have a cuddle after a long day.”

“Patrick...” she gently chuckled, feeling her heart bursting with the love she had for the man standing in front of her.

“You like when I do the dishes. You like seeing Tim happy.” He pulled his head away and looked down at her. “I know you like being bold and bossy, no matter how hard you try to hide it.”

“That’s not true!” she laughed, no matter she knew he was right.

“Yes, yes it is.” He laughed with her, “And I love you even more for it.”

“I love you too.”

“I know.” He gave her another peck, before stepping away from her. “Come on, we are almost there. I promise."

And this time Shelagh simply followed him. No questions asked and without a doubt. And it paid off.

“Oh, my god,” Shelagh whispered when they finally made their way out of the woods and ended up at the edge of an endless meadow with a few cows grazing on it. “You have to be kidding me?! Is that a...’”

“Treehouse.” Patrick ended her sentence as they both stared at the single old oak in the middle of the meadow, with a tiny treehouse built around its trunk. "And it’s all ours for the next two nights.” 

**Author's Note:**

> beta: the wonderful weshallc!...THANK YOU!  
> give a poor girl a review...


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